Aspiring Incitement

The Center for Science in the Public Interest

2010-12-19T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is "a consumer advocacy organization whose twin missions are to conduct innovative research and advocacy programs in health and nutrition, and to provide consumers with current, useful information about their health and well-being."

So they lobby for healthier standards in food. That's good for them. I hope I stay interested enough to browse the site every once in awhile.

Hmm, they have a donations page. I'm not donating, but I guess I'll mention it for the sake of their site's search engine optimization.

Kickin' Around a Decrease in the Wealth Gap

2010-12-19T16:18:00.001-08:00

For awhile I've been on this kick about starting an organization that decreases the international wealth gap. I decided to start 'small' with the United States. Now I've got to lay out how it'll be done.

This is worse than Twitter.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year

2010-12-19T16:17:00.001-08:00

Just in case I never come back here again, happy holidays.

Man, eff this ish. Reboot

2010-12-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new Aspiring Incitement.

Did I honestly say that?

2010-12-19T16:15:00.000-08:00

This?

NCAA Must Stop Exploiting Black Athletes

2009-03-22T03:52:00.000-07:00

I originally read this on field negro:

The following article is old (almost five years) but it is the kind of article that could be posted for the next twenty years and it would still be relevant. I thought about posting it today as I watched all those athletes bust their asses for their schools, while their well paid coaches pranced along beside the court.

"Editor's Note: The nation's top college basketball and football athletes earn millions for their schools, but see very little of it. And yet these so-called "student" athletes have little time for their studies and often earn no academic degree.

It's an exploitative system that must be changed, the writer says.SAN FRANCISCO--With the 2005 collegiate football season underway, African-American athletes are exciting the crowds, drawing in thousands of fans and driving up revenues from TV and radio coverage. And they're being exploited. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) pretends that elite African American athletes filling the stadiums and arenas are student-athletes. In reality the majority of top players, like quarterback Vince Young of the University of Texas and running back Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma University, are first and foremost athletes. Their lives center on practice fields, not classrooms. Coaches dictate their schedules, which are packed with meetings, practices, lifting weights, rehabbing injuries and travel.

Economists Todd Jewell and Robert W. Brown in the late 1990s calculated that athletes of the caliber of Young and Peterson generate $500,000 per year for their universities. It's even more today, considering revenues from college basketball's March Madness, a six-year, $11 billion contract with CBS, and the Bowl Championship Series on ABC, at $500 million over eight years. Premier basketball players generate over $1 million a year.These players are being exploited, receiving only a few thousands in scholarship money while earning enough cash for their universities to provide substantial salaries to a cast of coaches, trainers, administrators and support personnel for non-revenue generating sports such as golf, soccer, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. Those opposed to paying student-athletes argue that a college education is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Indeed, according to Census Bureau 2002 figures, those with B.A. degrees earn an average of $2.1 million over their lifetime, compared to high school graduates' $1.2 million.Unfortunately, not enough of these "student" athletes earn degrees of any kind. Despite efforts to improve graduation rates, the latest stats from the NCAA show that for black football players who entered college from 1997 to 1998, the graduation rates were 49 percent for each of the two years.

In basketball the rates were 41 and 42 percent. Some elite universities have far lower rates.There are also serious doubts about the quality of these athletes' educations. It is true that they have tutors and compulsory study halls not available to most students. They have the security of scholarships, so there are no financial pressures that force other students to drop out. But even if the black athlete graduates, his degree may not be worth much if he has filled his schedule with less than challenging courses. "

More here.

So is Donal Brown right? Are the NCAA schools pimping these young men? Personally, I think some of these coaches are doing just that. When you see coach K crying over losing his kids to graduation, it's not because he is happy that they are going out into the world with a Duke degree. No, he is crying because his basketball team will be losing a great player. Coach K and the NCAA well be fine, thanks to CBS and other corporate sponsors they are swimming in money.

Still, these student athletes have to remember that there is a student before the word athlete, and they should be realistic about their chances of playing the sport they love for money. They need to make the best of their college experience and get their degrees. I know that their pim....I mean coach is always in their ears to watch game films and practice, but they have a bigger responsibility to themselves than to their coach and old State U.

Wouldn't it be nice to hear a coach tell a kid that he should put in as much time in the library as he does at the free throw line? It would be nice, but ain't ever gonna happen. Coach has too much to lose, and he can't stand the risk of having his most valuable commodity forget why he needs him in the first place.

An Ode to Grammar

2009-03-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Does the internet negatively shape the literary minds of the masses? Would you agree that splitting infinitives and ending sentences with prepositions is becoming standard because of the global, grammatic influence of the net? Could it be that its isolated forums provide comfortable locals for casually reinforcing relaxed notions about writing that would otherwise be cast away under societal pressure?

Wikipedia is one internet local that reflects such a forum. After perusing a random articles, an act made easier by the convenient "random article" link on the site's homepage, the result was enough to make an editor sigh: the article about Xi'an Subway, a metro system in Shaanxi province of China, lacked commas and misused a word that I am unfamiliar with, approximatively. Many random articles follow this pattern. This reflects poorly on the authors of user driven content.

The dulled eye of the common internet user will lazily glaze past the same mistake time and time again. One error, the misuse of the word approximatively, survived six edits over the course of fourteen months. I put the poor "illegitimate" out of its misery today, finally changing it to its close cousin, approximately.

In locations where the typed word is less permanent, such as chat boxes and instant messengers, grammar is more horrible as misspellings and missing punctuation shove accurate writing to the wayside. Unless these inaccuracies are so egregious that other lax typists judge them illegible, any attempt to criticize ones lack of grammar is met with phrases such as: "this is the internet not school", "its a informal setting", or, more pointedly, "stfu".

This might not be so bad if people were learning and using grammar off line, but most people do not become proficient writers, ever. First-year English professors are used to the sub-par writing skills of their students. If online culture would reinforce proper writing, perhaps it may not create Pulitzer prize winners, but it may ease the burden of our professors. In addition, this increased proficiency might spill into the more permanent areas on the internet.

If you're reading this, consider exerting a little bit of grammatic pressure while you're on the internet. You never know, you might just keep an infinitive from splitting.

President Obama lifts the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research

2009-03-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

President Obama fulfilled a campaign promise to lift the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research put in place by President Bush in 2001. Obama's new executive order now allows scientists to apply for government grants to study the versatile cells. (Time/CNN)

Kanye West's Shift from Music to Fashion and the Ignorant Response from the Hip Hop Proles

2009-02-22T01:38:00.000-08:00

In an interview in the January/February issue of Details Magazine, Kanye West expounds on his status within his generation, style, personal drive, the importance of titles, his interest in fashion, and just being himself.

West uses language and anecdotes that cause heads to turn just as easily as his clothes do for those who are unaware. Kanye West speaks in absolute terms referring to himself as "one of the greatest rappers in the world", a "superhero" and confirming his belief that he is "the voice of this generation". Emphasizing the point he eloquently states, "If not me, then who?"

Many, including African Americans from the Hip Hop generation, take these words as those of a delusional man boasting beyond credentials. For example, comments left on Black Planet.com are saturated with men and women criticizing West for his confident crowing. YOURNAWTEEGIRL writes:

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL KANYE HE IS TRULY NOT ALL THAT
HE NEEDS TO GET OFF HIS OWN NUTS…FAST

I’VE NEVER BEEN A BIG KANYE FAN AND THE MORE THIS MAN SPEAKS THE MORE IT SOLIDIFIES MY DISGUST FOR HIM ‘Dude, that’s so good it’s almost…gay.’”??? WTF AS IF THE WORLD DIDN’T THINK YOU WERE GAY ENOUGH AS IT IS

These comments are in response to five quotations taken out of context. I doubt many who replied took the time to read the articles. The quotations remain equally provoking within context, but the point of the author appears to be one of degradation rather than objective analysis of what Kanye West is saying in the interview.

People upset by Kanye's hailing himself the greatest would be best to keep in mind that Black expression of individual greatness has always been a part of song. From Aretha Franklin saying "I am the Queen", to James Brown's "I'm Black and I'm Proud", to Dead Prez calling out "I'm African/And I know what's happenin'". It's the same type of offense that people took when Ali called himself the greatest.

We've always been a braggadocios people, and with good reason. We accomplish much. Kanye West as an individual has accomplished much and he has every right to raise his voice in self praise, especially if we won't do it for him. We should echo that praise and not try to diminish the merit in what he has done.

Regardless of how we judge West, he tells us he doesn't care. Just like Redman taking everything in stride, rapping tongue-in-cheek that people say "My first name must be He Ain't Shit" and "My middle name must be Fuck You", Kanye tells us bluntly that he'll be serving "A" material, no matter what we think, in all that he does because he's dedicated to excellence.

Kanye West describes multiple drives and says he rerouted the same type of energy that will send a young man to a club at 3am searching for sex into developing music. That's why he was signed to Roc-a-Fella. That's why he was able to develop four incredible albums with wide appeal.

This same appeal will no doubt find its way into Kanye Wests clothing design. Sneakers ran down the runway in Paris hold unparalleled potential as West finds himself following Marc Jacobs who he describes as the Jay-Z of the fashion world.

I'll be waiting to see what this music great comes up with. I expect no less than excellence from him.

Ineffable Significance

2008-11-14T01:03:00.000-08:00

I do not need a White person’s acceptance to validate me. I do not need Barack Obama, Oprah, Magic Johnson or Will Smith to inspire me. I do not need to hear the mind numbing opinions of those who do need these things.

I am an African American. Aside from being an extraordinary individual, I come from an exceptional family filled with doctors, teachers, officers, and so on. My race, the broad brush American characterization of Black or African American, is responsible in a significantly large manner for the economic prosperity, civil liberties and cultural influence of the United states. My distant West African ancestors are the bearers of one of the oldest civilizations on earth. With such an impressive background my worth is intrinsic.

My worth is the basis of my drive. I do what I do for the sake of my ancestors, race, family before me, but ultimately myself. While I appreciate others for their achievements, especially those who I share a common identity with, they are not necessary as role models. I do not need Michael Jordan to show me I can jump, nor do I need Martin Luther King to show I can speak, nor even Obama to exemplify my humanity. I am a force unto myself, as is anyone else who recognizes their self worth.

Everyone should feel they are valuable because they are. It should not take emancipation, a Civil Rights movement or the election of a Black President to bring about a sense of undeniable importance. People have been in a progressive state for hundreds of thousands of years and no one event is a deciding factor for any individual or group’s significance.

Additionally, just as an external figure is not necessary for self worth, the judgment of value by another person or society at large is insignificant. The White woman clutching her purse as she passes a Black man in a hoodie, man in a truck scoffing at the Black man in the Mercedes and the voter who lets Barack Obama’s skin color be the first thing to roll of his or her tongue (whether it be in a positive or negative light) are in the end inconsequential. To entertain the notion that these people’s opinion matter is to give them an unwarranted power.

Every person, when asked about how they feel now that an African American is elected president, made CEO, fortunate enough to make a billion dollars should laugh, shake their head and say you petty human being. We feel the same way that all people feel when any person succeeds. We feel the same way we felt yesterday. We are proud. As you should be.

I am valuable. Cannot you see?

This entry is written in response to another cookie cutter article talking about societal acceptance of African Americans (men in particular).

Hastert's Prairie Parkway Deal

2008-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Yes. The Dennis Hastert Prairie Parkway Deal. Old News. Yes I know. It's been out there for a couple years. It's just that I am going through my notebook and throwing away old papers. Being the packrat that I am I just couldn't throw this story away so I decided to save it on google's servers instead of in my overburdened notebook.

To make a long story short. Dennis Hastert bought land 5.5 miles out from a proposed highway using the Little Rock Trust #225 to aquire the property. The proposed highway is one he secured $207 million dollars in earmarks for. He made millions of dollars off of selling the land he aquired and it has been argued that he unethically used his legislative power to get that money. It has also been argued that the land is too far away from the proposed highway for it to actually have any relationship with the property.

I personally believe that the land, which happens to have road being built to create easy access to the proposed highway, with its 1600 future homes being built will increase in value with a new highway nearby.

Bachmann blames minorities for housing crisis

2008-09-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

Ellison: Does GOP, or just Bachmann, blame minorities for housing crisis?

Scott Goldberg 4 days ago

9/26/08

Beneath the negotiations to bail out Wall Street, a potentially nasty story is brewing on Capitol Hill involving two high profile members of Congress from Minnesota.

It started yesterday, when Rep. Michele Bachmann, the Republican whose name recognition has been growing thanks to multiple appearances on CNN's Larry King Live, spoke at a hearing and linked the Wall Street mess to minorities.

The newspaper Roll Call reported:

During an otherwise mundane hearing on the federal takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, Republicans, specifically Bachmann, focused on Clinton's administration and its push to provide loans to low-income minorities as a key reason for the downfall of the housing market.

The Clinton administration turned Freddie and Fannie into a "semi-nationalized monopoly," Bachmann argued. Specifically, that administration decided to make loans through the Community Reinvestment Act "on the basis of race and often on little else." Backpedaling on the controversial comments, Bachmann later added that the law was "well-intentioned" because ensuring that minorities have access to housing is important.

Tonight, the controversy is escalating. Rep. Keith Ellison, the Democrat who became Minnesota's first African-American member of Congress when he was elected in 2006, sent a letter to John Boehner, the House GOP leader.

Ellison wrote, "There is no evidence to support Rep. Bachmann's assertion that 'minorities' caused the current financial crisis," and he asks Boehner if Bachmann's remarks reflect her own beliefs or the party's.

The entire letter is below, signed by 40 members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

----

September 26, 2008

The Honorable John Boehner Minority Leader H-204 Capitol Washington D.C., 20515

Dear Representative Boehner:

We write as members of the Congressional Black Caucus asking that you clarify your caucus position on minority lending being the cause of the current financial crisis. As reported in today's edition of Roll Call: "Rep. Michele Bachmann kicked up a controversy on Thursday when she pinned the [economic] mess on former President Bill Clinton and minorities? Republicans, specifically Bachmann, focused on Clinton's Administration and its push to provide loans to low-income minorities as a key reason for the downfall of the housing market."

It is clear from Rep. Bachmann's comments that she believes that the bipartisan laws enacted over the past decade ensuring that minority communities have equal access to banking and other financial services are the cause of this financial meltdown. The charge that this financial crisis was created by bipartisan laws such as the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), legislation that was enacted in response to concerns that lenders were systematically denying credit to certain communities, particularly lower-income and minority neighborhoods, is absurd.

There is no evidence to support Rep. Bachmann's assertion that "minorities" caused the current financial crisis. Laws designed to open opportunities for equal access to credit does not require banks or thrifts to make loans that are unsafe or unprofitable. In fact, laws like the CRA mandate exactly the opposite. The law stipulates that CRA lending activities must be done consistent with safe and sound banking practices. Additionally, research clearly shows that the majority of the predatory loans that have led us to this financial mess were originated by non-bank financial institutions and other entities that did NOT have a CRA obligation and lacked strong federal regulatory oversight. Shifting the blame for the current economic crisis to laws that allow equal access and opportunity to communities of color is ridiculous.

As members of the CBC, we simply ask if Rep. Bachmann's position that it was lending to minority communities that caused the current financial crisis, represent the position of the Republican Caucus?

Our country faces a dire economic crisis. We need to move forward and not engage in the politics of division and blame characterized in Rep. Bachmann's statement. In the days and weeks ahead, we look forward to working with you and your caucus to resolve this economic calamity.

Sincerely,

Keith Ellison

MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Obama avoids race on King's 'Dream' anniversary

2008-09-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

Long before Denver, the drum roll of history began: If Barack Obama could capture the Democratic nomination for president, he would deliver the biggest speech of his life exactly 45 years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s immortal "I Have a Dream" address.

And so Obama accepted the nomination Thursday night standing on the shoulders of King and thousands of others who suffered and bled to give blacks the right to vote - Yet Obama did not speak King's name.

...Forty-five years later, Obama did not utter the words "black" or "African-American."

We are caught in a bind. A lot of our time is being taken up fighting this Obama character. It's catch 22. Obama can hurt the African American community. It can also hurt the African-American community if we focus on Obama too much. The same can happen if we pay to little.

No matter who is president, public pressure must be applied to support or push against whatever issue is at hand. What are the problems in our country. What are the underlying reasons for these problems. How can we fix them. It doesn't matter if it is Obama, McCain or the Devil himself.

Re: Nothing Unique About It

2008-08-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor of Times Magazine in response to Gwen Ifill's column "Nothing Unique About It"

While I have become acquainted with the person Gwen Ifill and realize I have been seeing her for many years without fulling recognizing her, I am afraid I knew little about her before her commentary in the Times titled "Nothing Unique About It". I asked my parents, the ones who were part of the "Martin Luther King-era wave of activism", about Ifill and they replied she "has her head on straight most of the time." They agreed with me, though, that her commentary did not represent one of those times.

It is ironic she used an anecdote about Lowery chastising her for the use of the term "post-civil rights" in describing the new generation of African-American politics then went on to contrast the "transformed" version of Black politics with the Lowery led politics.

In her words, Lowery led activism was demanding access to lunch counters, school house doors, and voting booths. The article leaves the reader with the impression that these days are over and there are no problems that parallel the past. Yet, today's activism is demanding access to loans, a just legal system, and fair employment. Instead of Ifills recounting of past activists demanding accountability in the town squares that were the sites of lynchings and protests there are calls for accountability in the government's response to Katrina and the unfair treatment of the Jena 6. Yet, she failed to define what this new black politics is. Instead she said black politics has transformed into appealing to a broader audience while honoring the contribution of their forebears.

She fails to see that is not the case. The situation is the same pig with a new shade of lipstick. These "new" Black politicians who fear alienating the broader, multiracial audiences are running the risk of making Blacks and their problems invisible because of their treatment of these subjects.

In addition, the example of Coy Booker against Kenneth Gibson and Sharpe James is a rather poor one. Those two former mayors behavior does not embody the spirit of the 60s or 70s civil rights era or its members. Why not compare Booker to Bobby Rush or Charlie Wrangle who I am sure have the enough "metabolism" to gain mention.

The representation Ifill chose for the civil rights era and the "post civil rights era" are perfect for saying old era bad, new era good; Jesse Jackson Sr. bad, Jesse Jackson Jr. good; "Angry" Black bad, docile Black, good; or my favorite >3rd generation, bad, <2 generation, good.

Yes, I'm afraid Gwen Ifill needs more soul searching. She may want to touch roots with Lowery and the Lowery led activists to reframe her way of thinking.

On Barack Obama's announcement to run for president of the United States at Spring Field Illinois' Old State Capital

2008-08-17T04:46:00.001-07:00

On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama announced his run for president of the United States in front of the Old State Capital at Springfield Illinois, notable for its association with Abraham Lincoln as a legislator. He incited the name of Lincoln in his announcement, crediting the man with helping free the slaves and organization “the forces arrayed against slavery”. Truthfully, Abraham Lincoln was not only ambivalent about the freedom of slaves but wanted to create an amendment calling for all people of African descent do be thrown out of the country. He believed in a natural inferiority of African descendents and wanted the social casting of his time to remain in place. What African American, especially one in the position to be as educated as Barack Obama, would choose to announce his candidacy at such a dubious locale?

Re: Obama and the Racism Card

2008-08-08T22:11:00.001-07:00

This is written in response to Rich Lowry's op-ed "Obama and the Racism Card" from Townhall.com, Monday, August 4, 2008.

Rich Lowry attacks Jesse Jackson and Senator Barack Obama in an August 4th op-ed saying Barack Obama resorted to "hair-trigger" charges of racism of the sort Jackson has "built his career on". Lory then claims these charges have made Jackson "radioactive and anathema to the political center."

Lowry must mind Jesse Jackson's career with an attentiveness similar to that of Barack Obama's attention toward the McCain "Celeb" ad because their respective judgements of both is equally inaccurate.

Jesse Jackson has worked to improve he social and economic conditions of African Americans and other minority groups since the early late 50's. While in school, in the early 60's Jackson participated int he civil rights movement and was closely associated with Martin Luther King. He became a field director for the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1966 he helped found Operation Breadbasket, an African American self help program associated with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1971 he founded another organization called Operation PUSH. (People United to Serve Humanity), for self help human rights. As national president from 1971 to 1983 he promoted economic development, housing development, health care programs and economic excellence.

Jackson ran for president in 1984 and 1988 garnering 13 state primaries and caucuses in his second run. He formed the National Rainbow coalition, a political organization that is now merged with Operation PUSH to form Rainbow/PUSH. he spoke out for social and economic justice, peace, and environmental reforms. Jackson is still influential in politics and is an important voice inside and outside of America.

The resume of Jesse Jackson does not reflect the "hair trigger" behavior Lowry depicts and Jackson remains a key player in the political sphere despite claims from columnists and pundits of Lowry's ilk.

In order to conclude Jackson's activities are poisoned one must ignore hits career and his continued fight against the current inequalities that plague America. The Kerner Commission concluded in 1968 and then in 2008 that the United States remains two nations, one Black and one White. Rich Lowry, unable to appreciate this, finds it appropriate to attack Jesse Jackson with the kind of hair trigger charges he accuses Jackson and Obama of.

Barack Obama, who also appears blind to the divisive nature of this country, continues to preach change, new politics, and end to the divisive era, and moving past "racial guilt". Ironically, he uses the race card at his convenience, tearing down Bill Clinton after the president's Barack Obama-Jesse Jackson analogy, then Tavis smiley for even inviting him to the Black State of the Union in '07 and '08. Obama disowned both his church and pastors of 20 years to appease White America. Recently, he attacked John McCain, unwarranted, over an ad titled "Celeb" that likens Barack Obama to a celebrity such as Paris Hilton or Britney spears rather than a ready politician.

Barack Obama tried, unsuccessfully, to play the "race card", a divisive tactic that, when used appropriately, combats an divisive problem. McCain's ad had not one association with race in it though. Barack Obama claimed McCain was preying on people's fear of race, possibly because he cannot judge when race is being injected into an issue or not.

The difference between Lowry, Obama and Jackson is that Jackson knows what he is talking about. He is not lacking in assessment skills and judgement.

Barack Obama's War Chest Growing Stronger

2008-07-20T01:52:00.000-07:00

I was just going through my email and crossed an Obama campaign email (I get emails from McCain, Obama, and Clinton [as infrequent as hers come in now]). On first glance it would appear Senator Barack Obama is being out funded.

I have some big news we want to share with you.

In the month of June, supporters like you helped raise $52 million. And together with the DNC, we now have nearly $72 million in the bank. That's a very strong financial position to be in.

But we remain at a massive disadvantage to our opponents.

As I mentioned in my video message earlier in the week, the McCain Campaign and the Republican National Committee finished June with nearly $100 million in the bank.

We can't stop now. It's going to take everything we've got to defeat John McCain and his allies in November.

Can you make a donation of $5 now to strengthen our movement for change?

https://donate.barackobama.com/junenumbers

I know this isn't the first time we've asked you for financial support, and it won't be the last.

We have developed a strategy -- a very aggressive strategy -- that will only work if our millions of supporters continue to contribute their time and their money.

That strategy will work, and it has to. The stakes are too high and the need for change too great.

But victory is only possible with your continued help.

We can't do this without you.

Thanks,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

I take it with a grain of salt. Barack Obama was out funded by Hillary Clinton early in the race and he eventually steamrolled her. On the other hand, Barack Obama was never under as much attack as he is now. Political cartoonists are getting bolder. Plouffe feels he has to downplay the money the DNC has to increase donations. AFP news reports the DNC having $92 million.

Whatever the total, Barack Obama's campaign raised $52 million in comparison to McCain's $22 million in June. How long will the GOP be able to keep pace?

Barack Obama's Poor Judgement: What Plane to Fly?

2008-07-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

For one who prides himself on judgment, Barack Obama fails to use the resource wisely when choosing his mode of travel across country. (second story of the same)
On Monday, July 7, 2008, Barack Obama, aides, and journalists were riding on an McDonald Douglas-81 when the plane had to make an unscheduled landing in St. Louis, en route from Chicago to Charlotte, North Carolina, after the pilots found they were having difficulty controlling the plane.

"After landing, an inspection found the unusual cause of the problem -- an emergency evacuation slide deployed inside the plane underneath the tail. The tail cone, the very rear of the fuselage where passengers would exit in an emergency, did not pop off the plane when the chute inflated."

Barack Obama downplayed the incident with reporters saying "Any time the pilot says something's not working the way it's supposed to, then you make sure you tighten your seat belt." This particular MD-80 series jet is a "substitute for the usual campaign plane now being overhauled ahead of the November election push" and is also used to carry sports teams.
The Boeing MD-80 was originally made under McDonald Douglas and was certified nearly 28 years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration in August of 1980 and entered airline service on October of the same year. The MD-80 was produced at the Long Beach Division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes until December 1999.
Barack Obama said this was the first time his campaign charter plane had to ever be diverted. If anyone had been looking out for Obama's safety they might have seen that the MD-80 has been under inspection multiple times this year. Thousands of flights have been canceled because of MD-80 inspections. (1)
The MD-80 failed to comply with an FAA directive for securing wiring. The failed compliance occurred shortly after inspections only a couple months before. Only one day after Senator Obama's campaign plane was diverted the FAA is ordering U.S. airlines to check for cracked overwing frames resulting from reports of such damage already on some planes.
Imagine a potential president of the United State's poor judgment in choosing a plane that endangers his life. Barack Obama might want information before he or his aides make such a judgment call.

Black community increasingly protective of Obama

2008-05-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

In black America, oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Bill Clinton is no longer revered as the "first black president." Tavis Smiley's rapid-fire commentaries on a popular radio show have been silenced. And the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., self-described defender of the black church, has been derided by many on the Web as an old man who needs to "step off."
They all landed in the black community's doghouse after being viewed as endangering Sen. Barack Obama's chances of being elected president. And the community's desire to protect the first African American ever to be in this position may only grow with his win in North Carolina and his close loss in Indiana.

It is this that shows to me that Black people are unfaithful. They will turn on you for the latest trend. Sadly, Obama does not appear to be a good trend to me. He waters down the race issue. I would rather he speak the truth instead of dancing around the issue the way he does. He gave a... nice... speach on race. But that's gone now. It's just going to be a nice speech on race. He, in all probability, going to go up against the McCain machine.

If he wins he becomes a part of the institution. I guess the same can be said of Clinton. But the thing that bothers me most, is that Obama will be put on a pedistal for all Blacks to see, a pedistal that is not really built for them.

Christopher Pfau - Uber Attorney

2008-05-03T01:30:00.000-07:00

I have never "Digged" anything before hearing about Christopher Pfau. He is an awesome attorney in Los Angeles that deserves more recognition. I'm going to be "digging up" more information on this guy.

Disney Plans On Ruining "Small World" Ride

2008-03-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

Disney wants to incorporate Disney characters into the iconic "It's a Small World" ride that was designed by Mary Blair. It also wants to replace the rain forest with a patriotic American section with Mickey in it. That's a pretty jerkish move by Disney.

While Disney Imagineers plan on ripping out a piece of the soul of Disney they can get rid of Mickey's ears, turn the Epcot Center into a cube, and change their motto to "The Crappiest Place On Earth".

Sean Hannity <3 Hal Turner

2008-03-26T20:43:00.001-07:00

Sean Hannity and Hal Turner have a connection:

I'll expand on this later. I just remember Hannity trying to deny his relationship with a neo-Nazi.

Status: Awaiting Updating

Finding and Freeing Kareem

2008-03-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Though I need no protection, (at least I am under the impression that protection is unnecessary at the moment), I have decided to become an advocate for the Committee to Protect Bloggers. The link I have just posted is a shut down version of CPB, but it is what led me to Morpheme Tales, a blog by Curt Morpheme, a man whose accomplishments are long. My experience with him is short enough that I will Curt's about page describe him.

Through Curt's page I found the Committee t o Protect Bloggers on Facebook and that is where I finally found Kareem. An appeal to everyone, especially bloggers but especially everyone, to send snail mail to Kareem who has been imprisoned for what amounts to attempting to exercise free speech on the internet in Egypt. He criticized his school and president on his blog and received a four year sentence early last year.

From April 7 to April 21 everyone is encouraged to send mail supporting Kareem for his right to voice his opinion. CPB in conjunction with FreeKareem.org are telling their members to send letters of support to the following address:

Alexandria
Borg Al-Arab Prison
Room 1 Section 22
Prisoner Abdul Kareem Nabil Suleiman
The Arab Republic of Egypt

The Arabic form of this address must be on the envelope in order for it to reach Kareem.

Obama's Race: Shhhhhhh, Don't Mention It

2008-03-15T22:41:00.000-07:00

But I will mention it because "Obama can't escape that skin color is a factor". E. Thomas McClanahan of the Kansas City Star says what I say should be said with regards to Geraldine Ferraro's statement that Barack Obama is where he is because of the color of his skin.

Obama was supposed to be the transcendent candidate, the one who would move us all beyond race, but the race thing won’t go away, and how could it? The fact of Obama’s race is integral to his mystique and his political success.
As Mickey Kaus pointed out on his blog, kausfiles.com: “If Obama were white, he wouldn’t embody hopes of a post-racial future. Duh! That’s part of his appeal. It seems obvious. … Why isn’t Ferraro allowed to acknowledge it?”
The importance of Obama’s race becomes even more obvious when you consider that black voters comprise much of the Democratic electorate. Any candidate capable of capturing 80 to 85 percent of the black vote while grabbing a goodly share of the white vote will have the advantage.
That’s why Obama was probably the only candidate with the potential to beat Hillary. He’s doing it by yanking away what she formerly considered her base, and he’s doing it in part because he is black.

I back track to a statement he made in his first paragraph.

Geraldine Ferraro sure stepped on a political land mine the other day. Barack Obama, she said, wouldn’t be where he is today if he hadn’t been black.
It was a textbook-level gaffe, meaning Ferraro said something impolitic — but true.

Really, people need to get off of it. I do not think anyone understands what racism is to begin with. People attack with the concept like a false Samurai with a dulled sword.

Obama: He cannot recall

2008-03-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

You know how an individual will be examined in court and when an unfavorable question is asked the witness says "I cannot recall". Barack Obama retroactively pulled that stunt when he acknowledged last Friday that Tony Rezko raised $250,000 for three previous campaigns after his original disclosures were that Rezko had raised $150,000 for him.

I guess being a Harvard trained lawyer is superseded by being a political guru who gets so much money he cannot remember where it came from.

Where are McCain's Tax Returns?

2008-03-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Media ignore McCain's finances after obsessing over Dems'. Jamison Foser points out that the media, from MSNBC, to CNN, to FOX, the AP, and so on and so on bring up the finances of the Democratic candidates while ignoring those of John McCain.

A February 27 editorial in the Washington Post says that not only has McCain not given up his tax returns he doesn't even plan to do it as the de facto nominee of the Republican party. Hillary Clinton has pledged to disclose her tax returns after

Hat tip to Atrios.

Speaking of Race

2008-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

I notice the people of this country point out that Barack Obama is the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. On Wikipedia the editing community finds the first Hispanic president noteworthy but no one mentions other ethnicities. I just read an article about a Sri Lankan American president of the Harvard Law Review (correct me if I am wrong). I wonder if he is the first. If so, will he get any credit for it?

Either way, congratulations Thiru Vignarajah.

Barack Obama: Offended by Race

2008-03-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama is not just fortunate to be Black. He is fortunate to be a fortunate Black man. Throughout Senator Obama’s career he has been more notable because of his success as a Black man. In November of 2004 the headlines did not read “Barack Obama is the 50th U.S. Senator from Illinois”. They read “Barack Obama is the 5th Black U.S. Senator in History”. When he became President of The Harvard Law Review he was not heralded as the 105th President but the “first Black president” of the review. Even the Illinois Senator himself said during the 2004 Democratic convention that his status is incredible, in part, because of the background of his African father. The notoriety of Barack Obama is due, once again, in part, because Barack Obama is Black.

Geraldine Ferraro is making the same assertion when she said Barack Obama’s success is due “in large measure, because he is black” Ferraro expanded upon this using herself as an example.

“Let me also say in 1984 -- and if I have said it once, I have said it 20, 60, 100 times -- in 1984, if my name was Gerard Ferraro instead of Geraldine Ferraro, I would never have been the nominee for vice president"

Ferraro has an obligation to stand by the truth against those who would be dishonest by censoring a perfectly legitimate statement. Nicole Belle of Crooks and Liars called her statement erroneous and instead of trying to understand what was being said offered these words from Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite (I truncate it to its most “offensive” part):

The New York Times has reported the Justice Department statistic that “an estimated 12 percent of African-American men ages 20-34 are in jail or prison…The proportion of young black men who are incarcerated has been rising in recent years, and this is the highest rate every measured.” Just for comparison, note that 1.6 percent of white men in the same age group are incarcerated.

So, let’s see, to follow Ms.Ferraro’s logic, the other 88% of African American men are being promoted to high public office? Facts dictate otherwise. There are more African American men now in prison than in college and the employment rate for African American men has dropped to just over 50%. It’s nigh on to impossible to get a job in this economy anyway, let alone when you have a prison record. Incarceration rates, unemployment and poverty are linked.

Reverend Thistlethwaite criticizes Geraldine Ferraro for being “willfully ignorant”. But Thistlethwaite ignores the fact that Obama is both half white and the son of an African immigrant. A distinction must be made from the African American born in an urban setting with disparaging conditions unto African-American parents and the African American born to a more advantageous setting.

One only has to look as far as the studies of Jennifer Eberhardt, who explains:

how this prejudice may implicitly influence policy preferences and causal attributions, even in the face of the widespread belief that discrimination is an issue of the past. Race “influences us in unsuspected and undesired ways despite our wish to be egalitarian,” according to Eberhardt. Her research has shown how “subliminal priming”-flashing images of black males too quickly for conscious recognition-increases the speed with which test subjects recognize weapons and other images related to crime. Her work on lineups and sentencing suggests that “black defendants are punished in proportion to the blackness of their physical features.”

One must even know that a study at Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania finds that large numbers of black students at the nation’s most selective colleges and universities are either financially well off or have parents who were born in foreign nations. Barack Obama does not live with the same stigma as African-Americans who are the descendants of American slaves.

Thistlethwaite’s statement comes from a misunderstanding. She removes the context, that of a revered African American, the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Magic Johnson, or Cornel West. She removes the context, that of a Black man born of a White woman from Kansas and an African from Kenya. In doing so she lumps together every class of African-American into a simplified unit and forms an argument that is as (if not more) erroneous and willfully ignorant as the Reverend believes Ferraro’s statement to be.

A shell game is being played and not one person is acknowledging the other side of the coin. There should be equal criticizing toward those who are irked by Ferraro’s statement. Those people are guilty of sweeping race under the rug.

Addendum:
If truth should offend Barack Obama, Reverend Thistlethwaite, Nicole Belle, or anyone else of the same ilk then here are some other true “offensive” remarks they may find equally disgusting:
Barack Obama was lucky that he had virtually no candidate to oppose him in his run for the United States Senate in 2004
Barack Obama did hard drugs while he was younger and he refuses to say how much and for how long
Barack Obama was chosen to be an important African American speaker at the 2004 Democratic convention immediately after the African-American Harold Ford was chosen to speak at the 2000 convention.

Addendum 2 (Interesting Reading):
"Roots" and Race - John Harvard's Journal

I'm proud of Hillary Clinton for her wins in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

2008-03-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

That's all.

MainStreamMedia: Distortion and Exaggeration

2008-02-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

The media, with hyperbole and media distortions has set out to get the imagination of as many people as they can to shape people's mind in an effort to stop Hillary Clinton. They have come a long way in succeeding. They do so not because some other individual is more qualified for a position but simply because they dislike Hillary Clinton with a passion and some of them simply do not think a woman should be running for or be elected president of this country.

Europeans underscored the mentality of some people in this country as being idiots. The problem with all of that is that all of us must pay for the agenda of the mainstream media. All of us have to pay for it.

These are the same people who we didn't hear a peep out of during the run up to and the initiation of the Iraq occupation which has seen millions of people displaced, hundreds of thousands of people killed including thousands of coalition forces who were killed or maimed.

Now they wear the flags on their lapels and support, get morphed into the Bush Administration.

This morning we watched Kosovo declare independence from Serbia and MSNBC came out with an exageration of how the Serbian people did so much to the U.S. embassy when it was not that serious. They never said what happened to the military or security at the embassy but there was never anything that happened to the extent of what MSNBC tried to describe.

McCaskill gets a Softball from Chris Matthews

2008-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Chris Matthews gives Claire McCaskill plenty of time to gather herself so she can answer the question that Senator Kirk Watson could not answer about Barack Obama's accomplishments in the Senate. Even leading up to the interview Chris Matthews seemed to stall to allow Senator McCaskill to form her answer (Let's not even point out that her only reason for showing up was to give this response). She came up with four answers:

Earmark Reform:

She said that Senator Barack Obama created legislation related to earmark reform. Porkbusters.com gives Senator Obama a 25 out of a possible 100. It rates Senators based on their support for earmark reform on 12 votes between 2005 and 2007. Senator Clinton had a rating of 16.66.

“Wounded Warriors” of Walter Reed:

Senator McCaskill introduced a bill along with Senator Obama to fix Walter Reed hospital. I enter a quote from the Washington Post below:

Seizing on an investigative report by The Washington Post's Dana Priest and Anne Hull, Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) will introduce legislation next week to require more frequent inspections of hospitals providing treatment to active-duty military personnel.

Co-partison proposal on finding Nukes:

McCaskall nearly makes a misstatement when she says that Barack Obama, along with Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana proposed an amendment to expand the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to include conventional weapons along with finding and dismantalling nuclear weapons in former Soviet blocks. The Nunn-Lugar act of 1991 had already created the CTRP with one of the goals being dismantalling nuclear weapons well before Barack Obama ever entered the United States Senate. McCaskall made it sound as if Obama had proposed the law that was already in place. The most credit that could be given with regard to nuclear weapons is that the new proposal made the program interdict weapons of mass destruction shipped by sea.
I consider it to be an exaggeration when Obama and Lugar said shoulder-fired missiles, abandoned land mines and other weapons could be as dangerous as a nuclear threat.

Cohort Spending

I'm either too tired or too ignorant to know what she was talking about here. I know Obama did a lot of work on ethics reform and I wonder if it has something to do with nepotism in Washington, but I'll have to get back to it if I ever figure it out.

I hope I can get a video of McCaskill's appearance on Hardball today so I can go over what she said.

Chris Matthews, ugh

2008-02-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

On Hardball, Chris Matthews tore into Hillary Clinton under the guise of the question “How can Clinton win”. The rest of the characters on his show at the time began saying how it is impossible, then correcting themselves and saying it is improbable for her to pull off a victory. Matthews introduces an Obama clip that is followed by a Clinton clip of much shorter length. Chris follows the Clinton clip by saying that both candidates looked tired. (favorable words before Barack Obama, unfavorable after Hillary Clinton).

Shortly after they talk about how Hillary Clinton is losing everywhere in the poll. They criticize Clinton for criticizing Barack Obama’s campaign for being a campaign about a campaign. I agree with Clinton's assessment.

The media should not manipulate the voters. Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Oregon and the rest of the United States do not need to be manipulated. Listen to the debates and the words of the candidates instead. Compare their stance using their websites and writings and compare the candidates’ voice to that instead of listening to Chris Matthews.

Message Hillary Clinton

2008-02-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton needs to know that she has your support as she attempts to gain the Democratic nomination to be a presidential candidate. Join me and tell Senator Clinton that she has your support. It's easy to send a message on her website here

Obama Plagiarizes Patrick

2008-02-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

It amazes me when the media and many Barack Obama supporters circle the wagons around the junior Illinois Senator to protect him from being scarred by the discovery of his plagiarism of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Many either dismiss the action entirely or say it is OK, rationalizing that other politicians do it too. Barack Obama said that he and Deval Patrick share ideas all the time and even said his own words have been used by Hillary Clinton before.

It will take digging to find out if this statement is disingenuous. Lou Dobb's asked today what ideas Governor Deval Patrick has taken from Barack Obama. Naturally, it will take investigation to answer that question. Though Dobbs did not ask this question, the next would be "What has Hillary Clinton taken from Barack Obama?"

One blogger uses New Republic's Noam Scheiber to call Hillary Clinton the thief for using phrases similar to those used by John Edwards or even John McCain. The comparison is disingenuous. Every example is a sentence, or rather less than a sentence, as a phrase that is common to the Democratic Party. They are generalized statements and so far I have only seen Barack Obama and those on the media try to use generalized statements to defend Obama.

No one will make the distinction between the long uncommon words of Barack Obama (or rather Deval Patrick) and the short, generalized statements of Clinton. Barack Obama needs to take responsibility for what he did and all of his supporters need to stop defending his action.

Senator Obama's refusal to take responsibility for what he did is an awful flaw in his character. His failure to publicly and forcefully articulate his stances and offer solutions make it more difficult to hold him accountable. Third, Senator Obama is refusing to take responsibility for what he did. He should apologize and move on. His failure to apologize is indicative of a flaw in his character. Especially dangerous is how he hardly articulates his stances publicly (at least not vocally) and how it will be more difficult to hold him accountable when you have to search through vote records and written papers to see what the man is actually thinking.

Obama's generic rhetoric has been made worse by his derivative language. If this is his behavior it shows how much his "change" is actually worth.

A second issue that must be brought up is that both Patrick and Obama are belittling the history of the United States by saying what they said. It took Lou Dobbs to fully articulate this for me and what is important to note is that a lot of blood shed happened to make those words have as much substance as they did. Today Barack Obama talks in relatively quiet times. The media, political members, and publics' comparisons between Iraq and Vietnam, the references to the World Wars and comparisons between the illegal immigrant situation and the Civil Rights era are all belittling the incredible atmosphere of many pasts.

Obama Can Steal With Immunity

2008-02-18T17:01:00.002-08:00

Barack Obama plagiarized Massechusetts Governor Deval Patrick last Saturday, February 16, 2008, and said it is not a big deal. Obama said that he and Governor Patrick share ideas all the time. As Lou Dobbs asked today, what exactly has Deval Patrick lifted from Obama?

The answer as we know it now is absolutely nothing. There are those such as Brian Maloney of The Radio Equalizer who claim that Deval Patrick used "Obama like language" when Patrick called 9/11 a "failure of human understanding" but hindsight is 20/20 and Maloney didn't even mention Barack Obama last year when Patrick made the statement.

But the statements are all that people can find. Really short statements. No one can find a whole paragraph like the one that Barack Obama lifted from Governor Patrick. Sentences revolving around basic Democratic principles are flying around blogs in an attempt to heal the wounded Barack Obama but the truth is that Barack Obama plagiarized. Obama should just apologize and move on instead of letting all the starry eyed Obama lovers circle the wagons.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Close As They Vie for the Democratic Nomination

2008-02-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

The latest examination by CNN shows Clinton with a narrow lead in the delegate count when superdelegates are factored in.

A string of recent victories and endorsements from key party insiders have Democratic presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton running neck-and-neck in the increasingly important battle for delegates.

Clinton holds a narrow delegate lead over Obama, 1,157 to 1,145, down from her lead of more than 100 delegates a month ago, according to CNN's estimate.

Associated Press has Obama ahead by 26 delegates. Both counts give slim margins in a race that requires 2025 delegates to make an official victory.

David Plouffe, Barack Obama's campaign Manager said in a letter to Obama supporters that it "will demand energy and resources on an unprecedented scale" to keep the victories going in the upcoming contests in Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Plouffe recognizes that the eight straight victories since Super Tuesday should not let the Obama camp take the following states for granted.

But the race for the Democratic nomination remains close. It's going to be a fight for every vote and every delegate in the remaining 18 contests.

The fight for the Democratic Nomination is likely to continue past March 4 primaries especially considering the delegate distribution system of the Democratic National Committee. In addition to the narrow margins the independent nature of the superdelegates prevents the possibility of having a clear and disisive leader, possibly until the Democratic National Convention convenes.

For the first time, polls show Obama leading in popular opinion in Wisconsin. Public POlicy POlling produced a poll on 2/11/2008 that showed Obama ahead 11 points (50-39%). Ten percent called themselves unsure and with Clinton's history of garnering more of the last minute voters if the numbers the state could end up dividing delegates pretty evenly.

Texas still fails to show any polls newer than the IRV poll that shows Clinton ahead, 48-38%. It was last taken on January 31, 2008.

In Ohio, Hillary Clinton continues to carry the state with double digits according to Survey USA. Barack Obama was behind by fewer than 20 points for the first time in any poll but there were few undecided and even with the margin of error Obama is still behind by more than a dozen points in the best scenario. Former Ohio Senator and astronaut John Glenn announced his endorsement of Hillary today which can only strengthen her standing in the state. Obama's only hope is that his wins in Maryland, Washingtin D.C. and Virginia impress future voters.

Pennsylvania also lacks a recent poll. The Franklin & Marshall College/Philadelphia Daily News/WGAL TV, et al, Keystone Poll shows Clinton ahead 20 points.

If numbers continue to look as they are Hillary Clinton will likely shore up her pledged delegate base and continue to show superior numbers with the help of the superdelegate endorsements. Obama must close the gap in the coming weeks to prevent the Clinton push. It will be enteresting to see if the "Omentum" of Barack Obama continues past March 4, 2008.

The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same

2008-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

A citizen of New Orleans responding to comments that were responding to an article about President Bill Clinton visiting Dillard's Lawless Memorial Chapel in New Orleans.

Posted by Lovenola81 on 02/08/08
at 3:16PM

If you're looking for change in 2008, voting for Barak Obama will only bring more constancy.

His charismatic speeches and smooth attitude have been attracting and catching the American public's attention. His sudden rise as a
leading presidential democratic candidate can be credited to the mass media. The
Obama frenzy we see on television lets us know only a few things about him: He's
black, not a Republican and against the war in Iraq.

In his non-fiction book, "The Audacity of Hope," Obama promotes the
idea that the U.S. has the duty to "help make the world more secure."
This rhetoric was used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion of Iraq in
the first place. This imperialist view of foreign policy and function as the
world police has gotten America into a deeper hole of worldwide resentment. The
junior senator from Illinois' lack of a track record has been touted as one of
his best assets.

But the few things he has done look pretty ominous, like his vote in
favor of re-enacting the Patriot Act.

A man who claims to stand for civil liberties and the rights granted by
the constitution approved a bill that is infamous for its disregard of
constitutional law.

Obama opposed an amendment called the Bankruptcy Act that would have
capped credit card interest rates at 30 percent, relieving millions of Americans
in debt. He also opposed the introduction of the Canadian-style, single-payer
national health insurance that would guarantee all Americans their right to
health care.

In "Hope," Obama joins victim-blaming Republicans by saying that poor
blacks' "cultural" issues are the cause of concentrated black poverty. He
doesn't recognize the many well-documented, interconnected structures, practices
and consequences of imposed white supremacy and corporate-state
capitalism.

His childhood went something like this: He was raised by his white
grandparents, attended an elite private school and lived in tropical
Hawaii.
In his book, Obama claims blacks have joined the "socioeconomic mainstream." This statement must have been made without any real research on the subject. According to economist Jennifer Weary in her report "The Future Middle Class: African Americans, Latinos and Economic Opportunity," the median black household net worth falls to less than eight cents.

We should not vote on shallow information from mass media. Americans need do their own research to find the best candidate, not that of the corporate elite.

A good president isn't based on charisma alone. If Obama is going to
have a chance, he needs to first prove himself to win over voters.

JJ from NOLA

Clinton is Destroying Them!

2008-02-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

I just heard j***a** Wolf Blitzer mention that the delegates are not winner take all after he was forced to report that Hillary Clinton has been projected to take California. The polls were wrong just like the game line was wrong about the Giants.

All the polls, all the pundits, all the idiots are being destroyed today by the Clinton machine and I am proud because Clinton is the real front runner that is falsely labeled by the media as a lame duck. Clinton is destroying them. She is destroying them!

Retraction: Obama wins Missouri

2008-02-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

I called Missouri for Clinton the day of and then relegated this post to a draft in order to hide it from the world. I just can't delete it because I wrote it and I'm a writing packrat. Obama went on to win Missouri by one percent when Clinton had been ahead in the count the whole day.

The original title of this post was "Hillary wins Missouri. You heard it hear first." because I wanted to call it before any major news network. Looks like I pulled a Fox. Then again, the AP apparently called it for Clinton too. I guess we can all make mistakes...(must start a conspiracy theory that says Obama stole Missouri).

Here is the original post:

I just realized I can call Missouri for Clinton before any of the major networks do. Correct me if I am wrong.

With 94% of the vote in and Obama needing two to one to come back in what looks like a 50/50 cut of the rest of the votes I can faithfully call Missouri for Hillary Clinton.

edit: It looks like AP called it 30 minutes ago. I should have tried to call it earlier. I just kept wondering why MSNBC didn't put that fancy yellow check there.

Then again they are claiming that Clinton and Obama hate each other. The only candidate hated in this race is Mitt Romney. We all know that.

I wonder

2008-02-05T19:27:00.002-08:00

I see an America where we failed to get health care when we owned both the
WH and Congress...

I see an America where we failed to sign Kyoto while controlling both the
WH and Congress...

I see an America ravaged by joblessness and homelessness thanks to your
refusal to reverse Reaganomics by passing NAFTA, etc..."

Elias 02.05.08 - 11:04 pm #

But in the meantime, it would be nice to see the Democrats wipe out the Republicans so we can get one step closer to debunking those statements.

For my own humility

2008-02-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

Nothing political. Just a mistake I made typing in the comment box on Atrios. I also type throught instead of "through" without fail. I guess my mind doesn't work quite right, eh? "Vince Foster" caught it so I give him a point and a cookie.

What Clinton dead was insignificant compared to all the crap the Republicans have pulled. Not funny.Vince Foster 02.05.08 - 1:39 am

I think Clinton is doing better than the media said

2008-02-05T19:16:00.001-08:00

I think I see Hillary Clinton kicking a** right now. She just took Massachusetts and she took it clean. I'm happy. All the polls appear to be pure BS,

CNN show's her cleaning up. I think she's taking the west, the northeast, and cutting through the center of the midwest.

Second place is also called losing

2008-02-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

A few hours ago, Dan Abram was on MSNBC saying the media is going to frame today (or tomorrow for us pacific coasters) in a good light for Obama if he wins or comes close, whether he comes close by number of states or delegates.

Basically, Obama gets about 3 chances where Clinton only gets one. Clinton has to get a clear wipeout victory in order to stomp the media’s Barack Fire. Based on current polls, the media has a good chance off framing Barack Obama as the winner even if he loses like Romney.

So I naively believed that Dan Abram was condemning the media for their behavior. But as soon as 10 o clock pacific time came around I saw Dan preeching the same "Obama is closing" crap about New York because Clinton's double digit lead was not large enough.

Oh, By The Way, I'm White

2008-02-02T11:41:00.001-08:00

Sharon Marquez, editor of the Chillicoth Gazette, a newspaper from the newspaper network of Central Ohio, wrote an article about a Klansman who was riding in the back of a pickup truck with a "trashy sign" that would speed away whenever someone tried to approach him.

I appreciate the article. I really do. But the last sentence of the article was "By the way, I am not a person of color. I am white." I think it was odd that she felt she needed to qualify the article as if her words were not powerful enough. It is as if she expects her audience to only believe that an African-American or some other hyphen-American would be willing to write those words.

It really does show how pitiful people must be if we expect them to act like that. How much bigotry is there in the United States where people do not recognize that there has been and always will be a section of White America that acts against injustice. It has been there since the Atlantic slave trade and continues to this day. But the expectation in America appears to be White neglect of race related issues.

Dick Morris: Bigot, Backstabber, Toe Sucker

2008-01-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

On January 29, DickMorris of Fox News said on Hannity and Colmes that Edwards' voters are those that can’t decide which they don’t like more—a black or a women getting elected.

Let us know who is talking right now. Dick "the toe sucker" Morris. Dick Morris has been a political consultant since the 80's and was one of Bill Clinton's lead consultants until 1996 when his sucking toe fettish was discovered.

Morris had an affair with a prostitute named Sherry Rowlands who he would allow to listen in on calls between himself and the president. He let her read speeches before they were ever given and was generally known as a behind the scenes guy.

But no one would want to know what this guy was doing in his private life because it was all sick. Prostitution, adultery, and he was the 7th largest tax delinquent in the United States in 2007. That is just what we know about.

He has taken advantage of his relationship with the Clintons by lying himself back into prosperity. After his sex scandal he lost a million dollar book deal so he turned to sleezy, unsubstanciated lies in order to get another one.

This guy has skeletons, he is sick, and he is allowed to speak whenever he wants on Fox News. Go figure.

Clinton Nostolgia

2008-01-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

I am amazed, is all, that I can look at old articles that describe Hillary Clinton in a way that I do not seem to see today.

In the September 17, 2007 issue of Newsweek the cover says "What kind of decider would she be?" with Hillary Clinton angled behind a pulpit raising her hand as if waving to a crowd. The article describes how Clinton was rather stubborn when she entered Washington as First Lady, refusing to yield on her healthcare program to the point of ultimately dooming it. It goes on to say that Clinton cocooned herself with her aides and came out as a new, compromising individual who could cut policies away with hardlined Republicans such as Trent Lott and Lindsey Graham.

Now I see the media shutting Clinton out, possibly in order to make it a real race. It might be worth it to ignore anything new and just look for older articles on all of the candidates that appeared before the hype.

Mitt Romney Lies In Florida

2008-01-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

Watching CNN, I just saw Mitt Romney speaking to a crowd of people in Florida telling them that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have never held a job in the private sector. Naturally, this is another of Mitt Romney’s lies, just like when he proclaimed he was a lifelong hunter despite the fact that he only hunted small “varmints” twice, or when he said he “saw” his father march with Martin Luther King, even though he never watched his dad’s civil rights activism with his own eyes, or the time he claimed an NRA endorsement that he never won (last three examples from an editorial in the January 30, 2008 edition of The New Republic).

I decided to debunk this by going to Wikipedia. Big as life it says that after he received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1983 Obama worked at Business International Corporation and the New York Public Interests Research Group. Hillary Clinton became a faculty member at the Fayetteville School of Law in 1974. She joined the Rose Law firm in February of 1977 working pro bono in child advocacy.

On behalf of Obama and Clinton, up yours Romney.

Voter Volume: I like things that agree with me

2008-01-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

DemFromCT on the DailyKos points out that the second place Democrat had more votes than the first place Republican in the New Hampshire primary.

That's sexy

Barack Obama's Religious Schooling

2008-01-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Just like people who still lie about a connection between 9/11 and Iraq, people are out there lying about Barack Obama's religious background. Some people claim Obama is Muslim and was taught at a radical Muslim school even though he is Christian and the school these people mention does not crux itself on religion. Fortunately there are people such as Kate Phillips who debunk these lies about Obama's Religious Schooling.

In addition, there are more fools who mix up Obama with Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first elected Muslim, who used the Koran (specifically one owned by Thomas Jefferson) at his public swearing in.

The lie that Obama attended a radical Muslim school was created by Steve Doocy and the Fox News staff and the claim is fueled by bad politics, crypto-racism, and ignorance. Obama is "a committed Christian who attends the United Church of Christ in Chicago".

I need to stop reading Eschaton

2008-01-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

And one more from Eschaton's message board before I call it a night...possibly.

Well this was from "P O'Neill" and not Atrios. Mike Gerson went ahead and wrote an article using his crystal ball as a reference and will forever look like an over assuming bast...ion of bad sense.

Just look at the Numbers

2008-01-08T21:02:00.001-08:00

Just looking at Atrios and saw his link to The Concord Monitor

Democrat's voter numbers are a bit high aren't they?

New Hampshire Primary - Clinton and McCain

2008-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

The news has been unfairly giving more press to Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. In addition it has been shining a more positive light on Obama than on Clinton. In addition, the media turns every candidate into a juggernaut despite the nationwide polling that showed the only real juggernaut out there was Hillary Clinton. She showed up in the Cronkite, American Research Group, Quinnipac University, and Washington Post polls in the last quarter of 2007 as a sweeping candidate that controlled 40% of each polling. Yet the Times, CNN, etc. showed every candidate as having some type of potential equal to or greater than Hillary. In reality, every other candidate has been a media creation to push them as far as they have gotten. (I give exception to Obama who has the "O" factor on his side. Oprah Winfrey is the 5th column of the government.)

As I write this blog I Googled "New Hampshire" (without quotes) in Google News and I see 4 articles on Senator John McCain clinching the primary, 3 articles "punditting" away about the NH primary, 1 article on Senator Hillary Clinton winning the primary, 1 on Mitt Romney getting second in the Republican primary (are you serious?), and 1 on Fred Thompson's and how he is neglecting New Hampshire. Even though the people saw through the thin veil that was the media debasing Senator Clinton the news is still trying to save the face of the anti-Clinton, the great, white, male hope that can take down the Democratic juggernaut.

Events contradicted polling that led up to today's primary showing Obama ahead and now everyone will turn their guns away from Obama and toward Clinton again, just as they were pointed before the Iowa phase. The Google search shows that it is obvious the media is writing more about McCain to prop him up because he has received tens of thousands fewer votes than Hillary Clinton.

According to CNN Hillary Clinton has about 170k+ votes with only 83% of the precincts reporting. McCain only had 130k+ votes with a similar number of votes in for the Republican primary. The media will not mention this but it is obvious that there are many more Clinton supporters out there in itty bitty New Hampshire than there are McCain supporters. There are more Democrats out there period and McCain will need all the help he can get.

The itty bitty New Hampshire factor is another point I need to bring up. Why the heck is New Hampshire getting so much credit? I live on the border of a few cities where I could throw a rock into each city nearby and hit 3 or four cities that contain more people than voted in either New Hampshire or Iowa for that matter. It is ridiculous how much weight they put on these bleached, baby sized, "we voted first" people.

Stop propping up the underdog with undeserved praise. Start supporting statements with the numbers. Clinton won the New Hampshire Democratic primary. McCain won the New Hampshire Republican primary. Clinton had more votes. Period. This psycho-babble analysis needs to stop.

Undecided Voters

2008-01-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

I read a comment on undecided voters by Atrios and he linked to a post in which Chris Hayes describes the undecided. The anecdotes were frightening (maybe I'm exaggerating) yet humorous (if you can overlook the severity of what it says).

To sum it up, undecided voters are irrational, sympathetic, irked by politics, "crypto-racist", and do not know what a political issue is. It is a must read to see the likes of which our country depends on. Be reminded that 250,000 individuals from the city of Iowa (oops, I mean state) have major influence in selecting our next two major candidates for president. Thousands of these few are the undecided. Atrios had it right when he summed it all up.

We're doomed.

Jena Six

2007-09-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Barry Bonds, Home Run King

2007-09-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

In the United States it is a false notion that anyone is innocent until proven guilty. Allegations of steroid use by Barry Bonds are nothing more than allegations yet public opinion, largely fueled by one man's quest to sell a book and partially because of a natural tendancy of Americans to look down on African Americans, has ruled that Bonds is guilty.

The asterisk means nothing in a court that is extremely biased and leads a battle of injustice where one man is the "lightning rod" for scrutiny that belongs on a macroscale if at all.
Until focus is placed on all of major league baseball public opinion has no place judging one man, especially when allegations are the only thing it has to base its opinion.

While I don't expect those on the internet to decide to bestow the ball without an asterisk as it is largely a caucasian user base I do want to put my mark on the net so it is known that not everyone is prepared to blindly adhear to the prejudiced direction that manipulates the mindset of the western world.

I'm voting "A"

Incitement Made Easy

2007-07-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

When I first created Aspiring Incitement I wanted to urge people to act. Therefore I am now making it easier to do so whenever I post a message.

I will add the contact information, including physical address, phone number, and email when possible, to take a step or two out of the process of contacting others.

In the case of Congress I will offer a link to Congress.org. It is a site designed to write both private and open letters to the Congressional electorate. In most other cases a direct contact will be supplied.

I say all this primarily as a reminder to myself but also as a note for any reader that may cross this site. Maybe it will help you. Maybe it will help you help me. Hopefully, we will ultimately benefit from the new method.

My email: docjay8406-at-yahoo.com (The spambots have not gotten me yet)

2007-07-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

The recent Supreme Court decision on Seattle schools will make it more difficult to achieve equal opportunity in education. It is up to Senators like Barbara Boxer who has introduced legislation that will help overturn the Supreme Court's decision.

Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War

2007-04-26T22:34:00.000-07:00

Bill Moyers asks the question "How did the mainstream press get it so wrong?" in regard to the media's lack of independence and skepticism in the months leading up to the attack on Iraq.

Moyers lays out a 90 minute story filled with interviews of two reporters, Warren Strobel and Jonathan Landay, who had 40 years of experience and were working with Knight Ridder newspapers at the time. He also speaks with Dan Rather, formerly of CBS news and many others in a rare and most thorough dissection of how the media allowed the country to send its soldiers into another country without challenge.

If Not Imus, Then Beck, Boortz, Limbaugh, and O'Reilly: Let's Not Go After Hip Hop for Imus' Sake

2007-04-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Excerpt of Glenn Gamboa's "Imus Clouds the Debate"

First of all, a rapper would never have hurled racist and sexist slurs against the Rutgers team after their loss in the NCAA Tournament. Attacking people after such a difficult defeat is never funny. It's cold.

Second, rappers would differentiate between student-athletes working hard to rise to the top of their field and prostitutes or even promiscuous women. Do some hip-hoppers use sexist slurs too much? Definitely. But that should not be viewed any differently than the sexist slurs thrown around the boardroom or in workplace cafeterias. It's also no different than a business structure that pays women an average of 23 percent less than men.

Hip-hop should be judged like any other art form, on the merits of the many, rather than the actions of a few. There are examples of sexism and racism in country music and rock as well, but those genres aren't stereotyped in the same way.

The insults Imus and his colleague chose for the Rutgers women were designed to resonate with a certain part of his snickering audience - the ones who see everything in racial terms first. He was playing the race card then and, by trying to push some of the blame for his actions on hip-hop, he is doing it again.

This is a decent explanation of why the mainstream media is wrong in promoting talk against hip hop instead of going after Neal Boortz, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly

"Ho" Comes From European Language: Stop Pawning It On Black People

2007-04-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

The word ho did not originate in the African American community. In fact, no word said by an African American has originated in the African American community. English is not an invention of Africans. It is an invention of the English. “Ho” is not a word that was pulled out of nowhere by the Black community; rather it is a shortened version of the word “whore” or “hooker” which white people have been using for centuries to describe women.

It is senseless and narrow minded to attribute this type of language to Blacks considering this Germanic language comes from Europe. These words have existed for centuries because of the flagrant continuous use of degrading language by White people. There is an article written by one Dave Wilton on Wordorigins.org on the etymology of the word hooker. His examples come from the mid 16^th and 19^th centuries, times when Africans and Blacks were being held in slavery. The absurdity in the notion that African culture produced the term whore is boundless considering white women were the ones capable of acting as prostitutes. Black women were subject to the rape of their masters and any projection of a whore onto that African woman could only have been an extension of the classification of a whorish White woman. Africans were stripped of their mother language and relied upon the slave owner to learn the Queen’s English. This entire depraved English vernacular has its roots in Europe not from the African or African American culture.

The word whore has a similar, if not more extensive, background. “Hore” as used to describe a prostitute or harlot came from Old English through Proto-Germanic language. This is similar to the Old Norse “hora” for adulteress, Danish “hore, Swedish “hora”, the Dutch’s “hoer” and Old High German huora for “whore”. This word originated in the Germanic language and was passed on to African Americans via United States slavery which bleached the original language of the Africans and instilled this new language, one that is known for the lopsided appearance of negative words toward women rather than men and people of color rather than Whites.

White people are responsible for sexist words like whore, ho, slut, bimbo, and hoochie just as they are responsible for racist words such as gook, nigger, spick, and wet back. These are the inventions of a hateful White culture not Africans or African Americans. Imus, and everyone else for that matter, needs to bite their tongue before feeding everyone such tripe.

Addition: This article on CNN by the Associated Press does a decent job painting a picture of why what Imus said elicited a response from the Black community for those who have no idea.

Institutional Racism at Work: Whites Lost Imus so They Are Attacking Hip Hop

2007-04-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Imus used our airwaves for bigotry and sexism. After realizing he was in trouble Imus clouded the issue by targeting hip-hop. Unfortunately the media took his lead and have now began to attack the Hip Hop industry following the loss of one of their largest "bullet proof" bigots.

“White powerful” people are mad that Imus was taken down and now, in an act of vengeance, they are making institutional racism work by attacking Blacks via hip hop. Notice how they have changed the issue from Imus to Black people.

The issue is STILL Imus! Call your local stations and tell them that.

p.s. If you want to attack someone outside of Imus try the bigots listed at Media Matters here.

Imus is Dropped

2007-04-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

Imus is dropped from CBS Radio.

Welcome to the unemployment office Imus.

Open Letter to Randi Rhodes of Air America in response to her segment "Why Imus and Why Now"

2007-04-11T23:50:00.000-07:00

On April 10, 2007 Randi Rhodes asked her listeners "Why Imus and Why Now" after he has been spewing filth over the American airwaves for over three decades. For over an hour she took calls and shot down everyone's reasoning on "why now?" including those who said it's because of the racial slurs. Her conclusion was that this was a calculated attack on a "shock jock" who is supposed to be held less accountable for the things he says than such radio hosts as Rush Limbaugh. Randi's argument is that Imus is being attacked because it will send a message to others that they are not immune considering their words are not even said with as much "humor" as those of Imus.

It is my opinion that "why now?" is because we've had enough. He's been slandering everybody for much to long and after the racist and sexist attack on women who are trying to earn their degree, participate in school sports, and just go on with their lives we're finally telling him he has stepped over his boundaries.

While I am forever appreciative of the voice Randi provides to radio I am not going to let her hijack this issue so easily. I see too many people who think this is a complicated act against Republicans, or Democrats, or conservative radio, etc. Maybe it's just that America is learning to not tolerate racism, sexism, and degradation when it rears its ugly head.

Randi,

It is impossible for you to completely understand my position on Imus' racist, sexist, trashy, and uncalled for remarks. It is equally impossible for me to fully understand some feminine issues you may delve into because I am a man. While I appreciate your compassion for this issue you cannot go beyond intellectualizing it.

Imus attacked our Black children. In response, we are coming down on him with deserved negative attention. If you cannot fathom that Imus is being attacked "simply" in response to his racist attack on our children that is fine but do not show a lack of appreciation by quickly dismissing every person in dissention with your view who believes this is an issue of race.

Your claim of this being a complex move strategically made to make the less jovial, conservative radio hosts think "this could happen to me" is self serving. Whenever Blacks have striven for upward mobility White people have ridden on their coattails even though they already have more than enough. After the Civil War Lincoln tried to remove Africans and African Americans from the country and share-cropping took advantage of the newfound "freedom". In the 1960's the Women's Rights movement coupled itself on the phenomenal force of the Civil Rights movement. Today we see a less spectacular form of "How can I take advantage of this" in the form of liberal talk radio using the issue of Imus defaming these Black women via our national airways as a leaping point to shake up conservative radio. Others want to use the issue as an example of the "cunning" of the right wing where they are getting rid of yet another "anti Republican" rabble rouser.

Selfish is it not, considering Air America has one (?) or is it two (?) Black radio hosts who do not even have premium times. Your assessment and those agreeing with that assessment do not realize how much of a narrow base there is in that kind of thought. If you were Black you would not have your show and maybe then you would understand.

If you would entertain the thought for a moment, you would possibly consider that maybe, just maybe, Black people care deeply about what happens to their people, their sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, and so on. Imus deserves to be fired for his transgression and should never see radio again. He must be punished for his disgraceful, derogatory statements.

What plans you and anyone creating issues outside of the main one do is your business. Let us respect our own motives though.

Open Call to CBS RADIO Re: Request for Imus' termination

2007-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

We want Imus off the air. He has spread his offensive rhetoric over the airways long enough. Stop aiding the perpetuation of racist, sexist, gaudy and hateful language.

There is no defense for this man’s words. His lifespan on radio is no excuse. It just means his removal is overdue. The language of others whether it be Jay Z, Dick Cheney or Rush Limbaugh is not the issue. They are not Imus. Imus’ compassion for his wife does not excuse his sexist language. Her tolerance of his misgivings does not reflect mine. Besides, many sexist individuals have cared for their wives and daughters. Even Strom Thurmond took care of his Black daughter. Celebrities saying he is a “good” man are no defense. If he is such a good man then why is he in this mess? Imus has no excuse for staying on air.

I hope you recognize the severity of the situation and deal with this promptly. You have higher quality programming available that can replace his. I urge you to remove Imus in the Morning from your programming schedule.

CORPORATE ADDRESS

CBS RADIO
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
212-846-3939

Obama garners youth with social website

2007-03-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Just visited Barack Obama's presidential website and it's definitely youth oriented. At the bottom are links to facebook.com, a social website like MySpace; YouTube, the infamous video stash of everything there is to find on the net that hasn't been removed because of copyright; and Flickr, the picture portal. Obama for America has even set it up so supporters can create a member ship at "my.barackobama.com" where they can blog, meet others interested in campaigning and even create their own personal online fund raiser. Decent, nice job Obama camp.

Supporting Unions

2007-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

American workers need help - and there's something you can do about it.
Regardless of where you live or what you do, labor unions are our first line of defense for worker's rights. What do they fight for? Raising the minimum wage. Improving labor standards. Expanding health care benefits. Protecting retirement security.

And these fights don't only make a difference in the workplace: They are critical to providing economic security for families, strengthening our communities and rebuilding America's middle class. Every day, millions of Americans work hard and play by the rules but are still struggling to get by. Democrats understand the important role that labor unions play to fix this crisis.

The House of Representatives is set to debate and pass a bill that will restore American workers' right to freely choose whether or not to form a union. Join the Democratic majority in the House and show your support for the Employee Free Choice Act:

http://www.democrats.org/StrengthenUnions

Research shows union members earn 30% more than nonunion workers. What's more, union workers are 63% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are four times more likely to have a guaranteed pension.

The benefits of union membership are clear. That's why nearly half of American workers who are not currently represented by unions -- 60 million people -- say that they'd join one if they had the chance. But every year since 1981, union membership has declined. And a major reason for that fall-off is the many obstacles workers face when they try to form a union or negotiate a union contract.

The Employee Free Choice Act is a simple, effective solution to restore the right of workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and benefits for themselves and their families. It has three key provisions:

Require employers to recognize a union if a majority of workers sign authorization cards saying they want union representation.

Provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes.

Strengthen penalties for companies that illegally intimidate employees to prevent them from forming a union.

No management coercion, no waiting period, no stacked deck -- just the freedom for workers to stand up for their rights.

Democratic leaders in the House overwhelmingly support the Employee Free Choice Act. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called it a "top priority." House Labor Committee Chairman George Miller called it "an important step towards strengthening America's middle class." Now you can join the leadership in calling on Congress to pass this critical legislation:

http://www.democrats.org/StrengthenUnions

Big business is scared of the Employee Free Choice Act -- and that's why they're doing everything in their power to stop it.

75% of companies hire consultants or union-busters to fight organizing campaigns. And their tactics work: every 23 minutes, a worker is fired or discriminated against for supporting a union. All in all, over 22,000 workers each year are illegally fired, demoted, laid off, suspended without pay, or denied work by their employers as a result of union activity.

Why have our leaders in Washington allowed this to happen? Follow the money trail.
The public opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act is funded in large part by GOP-allied corporate lobbyists and interest groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Conservative Union, and Americans for Tax Reform. The dozens of groups that make up the "Coalition for a Democratic Workplace" spend big bucks each election cycle buying Republicans' votes on bills like this one.

This is nothing new. Big Business always gets what it wants from the Republicans-- from an energy bill written by Cheney's oil industry pals to a prescription drug bill full of giveaways to Big Pharma.

This time, though, the Democrats in Congress can stop them. Show the House that you will stand with America's workers:

http://www.democrats.org/StrengthenUnions

Do you believe in the right to demand a raise? Health care coverage? A pension? Do you believe workers should have a voice in their workplaces?

The fate of the Employee Free Choice Act depends on your work. Help score an important victory for worker's rights and for rebuilding America's middle class.

In Solidarity,
Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

Venezuela is a democratic state

2007-02-23T12:22:00.001-08:00

I'm not kidding you. I feel this needs to be said. As of February 23, 2007 the CIA Factbook says Venezuela is a "federal republic".

I recently came across a thread on the BlackPlanet.com forums where someone gave praise to China for aiding African nations. He heralded it as the end of European domination, which is true if the west doesn't get its act together, and ended by blessing Hugo Chavez.

A resident righty that patrols the forum who types much and often says nothing accused the thread creator of supporting all communists and dictators across the globe. The guy had an African user name with no location under it so I thought he might actually be from Africa. I posted a link to a story about China's mishandling of copper fields in Zimbabwe asking his opinion on it. I also replied to righty by saying Chavez helps low income people in the United States with low priced heating for homes and said Venezuela is not a Communist country, which it isn't. No Big Deal, right? *rolleyes*

A brainwashed military blow hard asks me why I don't move to Venezuela and "be a Commie". I "politely" tell him I'm a patriot (Actually I say I'm the most patriotic human being on the Earth. Though that is not true as long as Jack Bauer lives) and I speak against ills this country perpetrates. In fact think of it as a relationship between 24's Jack Bauer and his father. Jack loves his father but does not want him to harm innocent lives. Then righty returns practically saying nuh uh telling me "get with the program".

I responded by accusing him of being the same type of person who thought FDR was Communist. I supplied a link to the CIA Factbook showing Venezuela is a federal republic and an article by Josef Cohen showing why Venezuela will not be a Communist country any time soon. It in fact leans capitalist and the country's people favor democracy more than any other nation in South America.

I've invited the righty several times to state his position on political candidates in the 2008 elections and he never accepts my invitation. He just likes to roam around making baseless statements a la Rush Limbaugh.

How do you get through to these people?

Obama Criticizes Australian Prime Minister

2007-02-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama rips Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, after Howard suggests Obama would be popular among terrorist leaders because of his promise to recall troops from Iraq if he wins.

The Democratic presidential hopeful said if the Australian prime minister was "ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq," he needs to send another 20,000 Australians to the war.
"Otherwise, it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric," Obama said.

In addition, Australian political opponent Kevin Rudd warned Prime Minister Howard that he should take care not to strain the 65 year alliance that has existed between the U.S. and Australia. Kevin Rudd. The ACNielsen poll in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers has found Mr Rudd is the most popular Opposition leader in the past 35 years.

Criticism toward Howard has come from both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S.

Senator Jon Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said Howard should have kept quiet. "I would prefer that Mr. Howard stay out of our domestic politics, and we'll stay out of his domestic politics," Cornyn said. Ron Wyden, Democratic Senator from Oregon said "We'll make our own judgments in this country with respect to elections" after saying Howard's comment is at best "bizarre".

I'm disgusted a world diplomat would assume directive in a situation where his contributions, even as "significant" as he claims them to be, are meager compared to the 140,000 troops the United States has allocated to Iraq. Australia currently has 1,400 troops in and around Iraq, mostly in non combat roles. Even at the height of the Iraq war Australia had fewer soldiers than we've had die in Iraq to date.

Howard tried to claim 1,400 troops is significant considering the Australian population. Unfortunately he understands ratios just as well as he understands staying out of another country's politics. We a population of 300 million people vs his 20,000,000. 15:1 ratio right? We have 140,000 troops to his 1,400. 100:1 ratio. Does anyone see me not smiling? He owes us 8,000 more troops before I'll declare a "significant contribution". Even that won't be enough after Bush's surge.

Howard doesn't seem to understand that he is interfering with the election process of the United States. When critics from his own country said it was inappropriate for the Prime Minister to comment as he did Howard mistakenly drew parallels to Opposition criticism of George Bush in 2003, when he was already an established national leader. Considering the Prime Minster's ties to George Bush, his similar lack of discerning and status as a national leader, he has no business making comments pertaining to our elections.

The Prime Minister of Australia Criticizes Barack Obama

2007-02-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Prime Minister of Australia criticized, wait? Australia? The Prime Minister of Australia....The Prime Minister of Australia...The Prime Minister of Australia..The Prime Minister of... Australia?

What does the Prime Minister of Australia have to do with American elections? I think he's supposed to butt out and pay attention to what's actually happening with his own country. Everyone knows he's chummy chum with George Bush on the Iraq war and anyone with that type of mindset has no credibility anyway.

If Mr. Prime Minister is interested in letting the few number of people he has provided to occupy Iraq get shot at, go ahead. But stay out of the United State's business. Australia? Really?

The Value of Black Life in General

2007-02-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

The Value of Black Life in Maryland
By Parris Glendening
Sunday, December 18, 2005; B07
In the eight years I served as governor of Maryland, I found the power to decide which condemned prisoners would live and which would die the most awesome and emotionally grueling of all my duties. I faced this decision four times.
I believed in the death penalty when I became governor and took seriously my constitutional responsibility to uphold Maryland law. I presided over two executions, those of Flint Gregory Hunt and Tyrone Gilliam. Both were black men whose victims were white. I heard from many civil rights leaders who rightly pointed out that this racial combination dominated cases on our state's death row, even though African Americans were and continue to be the victims in nearly 80 percent of homicides.
So in 1999 I commissioned a study of race and death sentencing from the University of Maryland, believing it my responsibility to ensure that justice was truly blind when applying this ultimate punishment.
A few months later I faced yet another execution of a black man with a white victim -- that of Eugene Colvin-el. I was not yet convinced that a moratorium on executions was necessary. But I was also not 100 percent certain of Colvin-el's guilt, so I commuted his death sentence to life without the possibility of parole.
The last execution I faced was that of Wesley Baker -- whom Maryland ultimately executed on Dec. 5. His was the fourth case to come before me in which an African American man was condemned to die for the murder of a white Marylander. And as with two of the three condemned men before him, he had been sentenced to die in Baltimore County.
I could not, in good conscience, go forward with another execution of a black man for killing a white person. I stayed Baker's execution in May 2002 and imposed a moratorium on all executions pending the results of the University of Maryland study.
Days before I left office in January 2003, the study was released. Examining the records of more than 1,300 death-penalty-eligible cases between 1978 and 1999, criminologist Raymond Paternoster concluded that both geographic and racial disparities existed.
Baltimore County was singled out as having a significantly higher rate of death sentences than other jurisdictions in the state. Murderers in Baltimore County were 26 times more likely to be sentenced to death than killers in Baltimore City and 14 times more likely than murderers in Montgomery County.
The significant racial disparities are troubling. Cases in which the victim was white were almost twice as likely to result in the death penalty as cases in which the victim was black, and blacks who killed whites were 2 1/2 times more likely to be sentenced to death than whites who killed whites.
These results lead to the unfortunate conclusion that we value white life more than black life. Intentional or not -- and I believe it is not -- this is an indefensible and untenable position for the state. Whether one supports or opposes the death penalty in principle, all reasonable people understand that before we exercise the ultimate sanction, we must be confident that the system is, at a minimum, fair and accurate.
The University of Maryland study received a great deal of attention and should have been a call to action for state leaders, but no solutions have been implemented. The General Assembly, despite conducting hearings on the issue, never passed legislation to deal with the inequalities highlighted in the study.
Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who lifted my moratorium on executions after assuming office despite acknowledging that race "plays a part all the way through the process," named Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele as the new administration's point man on the issue. The lieutenant governor promised to conduct an assessment of our state's death penalty. To date, he has not.
Despite being ignored by the current administration, issues raised by the study remain. Maryland still faces serious questions about the impact of race and geography in capital sentencing.
I implemented the moratorium to allow for the thorough and fair study of our death penalty system and to allow for action to be taken to prevent racial and geographic discrimination. The study was completed, but the corrective action was not. It is time for our state to honestly and openly consider these findings and to find constructive remedies. To carry out executions under this scenario is simply wrong.
The writer was governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003.

Los Angeles - Mexican Mafia Incites Latino Gangs to execute Blacks

2007-01-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles - On December 15, 2006 Fourteen year old Cheryl Green garnered national attention when she was fatally shot in broad daylight in Harbor Gateway. While standing with her friends on the corner of 206th and Harbor Cheryl and her friends were approached by a Hispanic man who opened fire killing the young woman immediately and wounding three others. Nothing was done to provoke the attack and Cheryl had no gang affiliations. She was killed because she was a black woman standing too close to an area the gunman considered exclusively Hispanic.

“The Harbor Gateway has been a treacherous place for blacks and Hispanics since the mid- to late-1990s, when blacks started moving into the largely Hispanic area” according to the Daily Breeze (the article is archived now but happens be saved on Playahata.com’s Forum). A decade old turf war between Black and Latino gangs has escalated to the point where even non-gang members are not safe. The front line for this troubled area is the stretch of 206th street between Western and Normandie avenues. North of 206th street is Hispanic, south is Black. Harbor happens to be home of the 204th street gang of which two members responsible for the murder of Cheryl Green are members. (They were reportedly caught and charged with capital murder and 1st degree attempted murder on December 27). Cheryl Green’s death caught national attention but she was not the first victim to befall tragic and senseless targeted killings.

An 11-year-old boy was shot by a Latino gang member in 1997 just a couple blocks away from where Cheryl. In 2002, alleged gang member Marco Milla was convicted of murder and five counts of attempted murder after firing into a group of black people, killing one man at a liquor store near 204th Street and Harvard Boulevard. Residents say they live under a blanket of weariness if not fear. Any African-American that makes their presence in “exlusively” Hispanic parts of town may become the target of harassment. A 1995 police report said "This gang has been involved in an ongoing program to eradicate Black citizens from the gang neighborhood." A 1996 LAPD report on gangs in east Los Angeles stated, "Local gangs will attack any Black person that comes into the city."

After a long time suppression of escalating racial tensions by politicians and other public figures, Last month Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Police Chief William J. Bratton and L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca mobilized to confront and crackdown on the problem.

The importance of the Mayor, Sheriff’s Department and the LAPD’s move cannot be overstated. An alarming trend has been appearing with regard to interracial gang violence. From 2002 to 2006 interracial attacks between Blacks and Latino increased 11% while intra-racial gang attacks fell 23%. Experts such as Tony Rafael, respected writer and gang expert, say they have noticed an increased number of attacks on African Americans and he has gone so far as to describe it as “a policy of ethnic cleansing”. Stats in San Fernando show troubling cases that support this statement. Of 13 attempted murders occurring since July, 10 of them involved Black victims and Latino suspects and in many of these cases the victims were not affiliated with any gang.

These occurrences are a bit odd when one considers there were gangs over a decade ago where African Americans and Hispanics were in the same gang together. Tony Rafael uses the 18th street gang as an example of a gang that was an equal opportunity employer until the Mexican Mafia ordered them to “cleanse” themselves of Black members.

The Mexican Mafia according to Rafael is responsible for these senseless killings. It started in the prisons where the Black Guerilla family and the Mexican Mafia are at odds. One example of the tension is the prison race riots last year. Mexican Mafia, who have control of many Latino gangs outside of prison, instruct gang members who enter the penal system to kill African-Americans outside of prison. The prison conflicts have spilled into the street at the order of “made men” within the Mexican Mafia.

The Mexican Mafia’s attitude is that African-Americans are “infesting” their land. This is not that surprising because the racial division that permeates the California prison is based in centuries of prejudice that began in the times of slavery. It is the same prejudice that permeates the United States. Irony can be seen in the fact that most Mexicans are a mix of European, Native American and AFRICAN descent but the “made men” of the Mexican mafia fail to see it this way. Just as Mexicans are prone to elect a light skinned official into government office they were more than willing to join the Aryan brotherhood in the prisons and in doing so made African-Americans their sole target.

Is The US Ready To Elect A Female President

2007-01-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

I was trolling around a forum where a lot of people were asking rhetorical questions and I decided to answer one of them. Actually I am still answering them. This answer had a bit more substance than the others so I graduated it to the blog. I've also included a link at the bottom to HillaryClinton.com and Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy because I can.

***

Yes, a woman can become president and that woman is Hillary Clinton. When asked who registered voters would be most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for president in 2008 Hillary Clinton overwhelmed the other eleven candidates listed with 34% responding in her favor. Her closest competitor, Barack Obama, had 18%. Hillary Clinton was the front runner in the latest Nationwide ABC News/Washington Post Poll (Jan 16-19) where she edged out Rudy Giuliani 49 to 47 percent and beat John McCain 50 to 45. Every major polling on the Democratic presidential nomination for 2008 showed Clinton ahead of her nearest competitor by double digits. She took the New York Senate seat with double digits (12%) and though it may be closer in polls for the presidential election it must be noted she has been more than competitive. Among potential candidates for the 2008 election Hillary Clinton has even been compared to Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt and Reagan, two of the most popular presidents of both major parties past. Hillary Clinton maintains number power behind her and that is not the only evidence of her ability to win.

Clinton not only has the numbers on her side. She has the Clinton ‘War Room‘ in addition to other political powerhouses that have served in suppressing the Republican machine that unjustly tore down so many Democratic candidates before her. Clinton entered an electoral battlefield in New York where $60,000,000 was spent to defame and defeat her and she emerged on top. She has the aid of James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, and Mark Penn, advisers who have worked on the only two successful Democratic presidential campaigns in the past couple decades. Howard Dean’s grass roots 50 State Strategy can do nothing but aid Mrs. Clinton by embracing people on a more personal level. In addition, she has the greatest living US presidential speaker in her husband Bill Clinton. On top of this non comprehensive list, her War Room is stocked and well oiled with money. Ten million dollars has been in reserve since the 2006 election and as soon as Hillary Clinton declared ‘I’m in’ last Sunday millions more were put in queue.

Even dismissing everything previously said another factor appears to have been overlooked. A presidential candidate is not just ‘a man’ or ‘a woman’ (Though that ‘basic principal’ would have been truer in the past). The presidential candidate is a mass of supporters, a complex set if ideals and ideas and personality that, by the evidence the numbers suggest, attract more than ‘the woman’s vote’, ‘the pro-life vote’, or even the ‘anti-Bush vote’, the last of which will sadly be weaker upon the joyous departure of Bush 43. Hillary Clinton is a former First Lady, a United States Senator, an author, attorney and an active champion for family welfare who fought for women’s rights, expanded child care and early education and in fighting for universal health care she led the creation and design of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which has provided millions of children with health insurance. It is all of this and more that contribute to the ultimate decision of the nation. But most important of all these identities is that she is a Democrat.

A virtual unknown can be placed in either major political party and garner a majority of the nation's votes *cough*recent governor from Arkansas*cough*. What we have here is a Democrat with star power who has spent her life helping people. Short of Jesus giving her an endorsement you’re not getting anything better in politics. The elections were won in 2000 and 2004 by George Bush largely because of an appeal to Hispanics and WOMEN. The increase in women’s support accounted for roughly 2.5% of the 3.5% margin George Bush won by last election. Who better to be empathetically in touch with women, who make up 54% of all voters, than a woman’ Hillary Clinton can easily reverse that advancement that had been so crucial to the Republican Party in recent elections past by taking the edge on the women’s vote away. Especially in this polarized political atmosphere, Hillary Clinton can carry the same states Kerry did and along with one or two others that were marginally won by Bush (if actually at all) in the 2004 presidential race and take the White House to (finally) become our first woman president.

Jay,
Aspiring Incitement

Democratic National Party
Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy

Hillary Clinton for President

Hillary Clinton Officially Announces '08 Run

2007-01-20T22:12:00.000-08:00

Six years after making history by winning a United States Senate seat as first lady, Mrs. Clinton has set her sights on breaking yet more political barriers in her extraordinary and controversial career.

We all knew she was going to run and now that it's official it's time to see the Clinton machine take down the Republican machine.

Democrats in '08

Rumsfeld was their ONLY problem. Riiiiiiiight.

2006-11-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

Rumsfeld didn't cost the Republicans the elction by himself. All too quickly the phrase "The PARTY of Corruption" has been forgotten. "Page" Foley, "Grease-the-wheel" Abramoff, "Flip-flop Schwarzenegger", "Fetus" Santorum, "Video Diagnosis" Frist, Katherine "Cruela" "Steal an Election" Harris, Dick "Shooter" Cheney, George "Macaca" Allen, Michael "Misinformation" Steele, "Stay the Course, Adapt and Change" Rove and Dumb Dubya among many others were responsible for the change in course in this country. Getting rid of Rumsfeld would not have gotten rid of the larger cancer evident in the Republican party.

Furthermore, Ed Shultz brough up a good point about the Republican party's stance on Rumsfeld. No one spoke out July, August, September or even early November against Rumsfeld. Not until after the stunning loss in the election did the Republican party start grasping for straws and playing the blame game.

So you know Rush Limpbag?

2006-11-11T01:46:00.000-08:00

That 3 hour commercial for the GOP that came on every day? He somehow "wised up" somewhere between November 7, 2006 and November 8, 2006. He says his party never deserved his propping them up. *blink, blink* He now says he isn't going to "carry the water" for the Republicans any more *blink, blink*

Rush Limpbag. GOP criticizer? Rush Limpbag. Apologist? Rush Limpbag. Hypocritical lying scumbag having a mental breakdown... no point in trying to understand drugged up lunatics. Whatever.

Jim Webb wrote me a letter

2006-11-11T01:18:00.000-08:00

Dear (Jay_MMS),


Thank you for your incredible support!

Thank you.

When we started this general election campaign, we were facing an opponent with tens of millions of dollars. He had won two statewide races already. He had the power of incumbency on his side, and also the awesome power that comes with the backing of an incumbent President. We had, at the moment, not a lot of money, a candidate who had never run for office, and 2,500 rag-tag rebels who had volunteered for what many thought was a hopeless, quixotic journey.

At that time, I said:

I like those odds, actually. It'll make us all work a little harder. It fits with one of my favorite films, Cool Hand Luke -- one of the great lines in that movie: "Sometimes nothing is a pretty cool hand!"

On Tuesday, against huge odds, you carried our campaign to victory, and I cannot express how grateful I am to you for helping us make history in this election.

As you know, I made two promises to myself when I started this campaign. The first was that I was not going to trade anything I believed in order to get a vote or a dollar, and I did that. I’m walking into the U.S. Senate with the independence to represent the people who have no voice in the corridors of power, and I intend to do that.

The second promise that I made was that as much as humanly possible, we were not going to run a negative campaign. And I thank all of you for helping me to make sure that we did that.

We have a situation in Virginia where Mark Warner began a journey. Tim Kaine has added on to it. We are going to add onto it even more. We’re going to work hard to bring a sense of responsibility to our foreign policy that will, in my view, result soon in a diplomatic solution in Iraq. We’re going to work very hard on issues of economic fairness in a country that has become divided too much by class in an age of the internationalization of corporate America, where corporate profits are at an all time high while wages and salaries are at an all time low. I look forward to joining my fellow Senators in voting very soon to increase the minimum wage.

And finally, we’ve had a situation where, as a result of this Administration’s policies post-9/11, we’ve had far too much power gravitate to the Presidency at the expense of the power of the Legislature.

With your help, we now have the opportunity to put this country back on the track where it needs to be. Thank you for everything you have done for our campaign and our country.

Remember, folks: the Revolution started here...

Sincerely,

Jim Webb

Look at that. Isn't that freakin sweet. I get his signature and he sent me a picture and everything. I feel special and all warm inside. (And not in a Mark Foley/Page kinda way.) It looks even better in my Yahoo! inbox.

Subpoena Power Won't Be Used To Witchhunt :-(

2006-11-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

I must admit I was feeling pretty bloodthirsty on the morning of November 8, 2006. I was thinking about all the investigations that would be taking place. I was thinking about the resignation of Rumsfeld and about all the others that might fall afterward. Then I read an article from the November 6 issue of The New Republic by Michael Crowley called "Subpoena Envy".

In the article Crowley claims House Democrats John Dingell (MI) and Henry Waxman, while respectively poised and giddy, are not going to target people or behave in a vengeful manner. They contrast this to the Newt Gingrich, Dan Burton and company who sought investigations during the Clinton years.

Dan Burton "issued more than 1,000 subpoenas to 141 different Clintonites." He asked whether Christmas cards were used for political purposes and "in one case, Burton's investigators managed to subpoena the wrong man. In his low point in 1998 "Burton released misleadingly edited transcripts of secretly recorded phone conversations conducted in prison by former Clinton associate Webb Hubbell."

In 1997 Republican Representative Gerald Solomon of New York notified the FBI that Democratic National Committee fund-raiser John Huang may have sold U.S secrets to the Chinese, prompting an FBI investigation and wide press coverage. Two years later, FBI files released to Congress showed that Solomon's charge had been based on a cocktail-party conversation with a Senate staffer who claimed to have heard the scoop from an unnamed employee of the Commerce Department , where Huang had worked. Solomon couldn't remember his name --- only that he was "a male in his thirties or early forties, approximately five feet ten inches tall with brownish hair." (That narrowed things down to roughly half the federal government's employees) - Subpoena Envy, Michael Crowley

Yes, this is what Nancy Pelosi wants to avoid. She doesn't want to be a "Left-Wing Gingrich". I kinda understand. I still want to remind everyone the jugular vein of the Republican Party is wide open. *whistle's innocently*

In Less than One Hour, George Allen will concede

2006-11-09T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's not like it would matter anyway. Most of the votes cannot change because of a lack of a paper trail. Maybe there should have been more bipartisan complaining about this new dang-fangled technology. If there was a recount it would be nearly impossible for George "Macaca" Allen to find all the votes he needs to steal the seat.

In one hour we will officially see the concession of Felix.

Everyone, dance.

One Word. One Congress. I <3 America

2006-11-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Click for full resolution version.

New Beginnings. Welcome 109th Congress

2006-11-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Remember Derek Fisher's 0.4 second game winner in game 5 of the 03-04 Western Conference Semifinals? Fisher caught an inbound pass, turned 180 and made the clencher. Immediately, he ran off the court in celebration followed by ecstatic teammates. "I just wanted to get out of there and not give them an opportunity to think that we didn't believe it went in," Fisher said. Just as a boxer raises his hands in victory at the end of 12 rounds the victorious show confidence in the outcome even before it's called.Last night, McCaskill raised her arm in victory at the end of the 12th hour even though the votes were not finalized.

This is the new democrat. They are sure of victory despite Rove's "fuzzy math", Bush's baseless rhetoric and having to fight the party of corruption and scandal. McCaskill, Clinton, Kerry, Gore, Dean and Pelosi are leading America in a new direction.

p.s. Nah-nah, nah nah nah nah . Hey-ey-ey. Goo-ood bye.
Say it with me now
Nah-nah, nah nah nah nah . Hey-ey-ey. Goo-ood bye.

Media Uncritically Reports Baseless Charge that Dems are Behind Foley Scandal

2006-10-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

more here at Media Matters

Did anyone hear Clark say "treasure"?

2006-10-04T19:15:00.000-07:00

Who coined this phrase treasure? I thought it was weird when I was listening to the radio and heard General Clark say it.
http://www.taylormarsh.com/archives_view.php?id=414
http://securingamerica.com/node/1436
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2003_08_17.php

Foley-O loves boys, loves boys

2006-10-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

Congressman Mark Foley resigned in disgrace last Friday after his sexually charged IMs with a 16 year old page were exposed by investigative journalist Brian Ross of ABC News.

The 52 year old former Congressman of Florida ironically co-chaired the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children and helped write the laws he may be prosecuted by. E-mails and IM's (gag, I haven't read all of them. I'm not sure I want to continue reading his tripe. Must... think of good thoughts... not 52 year old men preying on children) sent by Foley were inappopriate at the least and didn't raise an alarm despite a page seing them as "sick" and forwarding them to an aid in Rep. Rodney Alexander's (R-LA) (thanks media matters) office. No one in the page program had the foresight to pin Foley as the indecent man he is.

The man needs to be sent to Singapore and caned. I don't know of any punishment that will set him straight. We already know he is a liar. He's used the following excuses:
1. I'm gay
2. I was molested by a clergyman
3. I was drunk
4. It's the Democrats fault
and we know 2 out of 4 of these are a lie. We're still waiting for confirmation on him being straight and the name of the mysterious non-existent cleryman. He is no good.

2006-09-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

George Allen had to respectfully decline the Thurgood Marshall award because the committee was threatening to withhold funds. Still editing
JCLH

2006-09-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Even though our president said it would be a lot easier if he was a dictator he sure doesn't know how to pronounce 'totalitarian'.
JCLH

Blogger Made It Easier

2006-08-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'm at work right now and sending a blog
JCLH

Did I miss something?

2006-08-30T18:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/09/chertoff_blames.php Says Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security chief at the time made this remark on September 1, 2005 during the Katrina catastrophe:
"The critical thing was to get people out of there before the disaster," he said on NBC's Today program. "Some people chose not to obey that order. That was a mistake on their part."

He siad this disregarding people who were UNABLE to leave due to illness or lack of transportation. However, we already know there were a bunch of unsympathetic a-holes back then (including george Shrub's mom")

What weirds me out is that I went to the article where Jesse Berney of the Democratic party had cited that quote and I could not find the quote anywhere. I had linked to this article a year ago so I could find it and I remember his quote being there (don't I?). I'm wondering if the Washington Post changed any of their story around for posterity.

GooseBump City

2006-08-30T17:49:00.000-07:00

There's a comic with my own name in it. GooseBump City. OK, so maybe I have something to do with it. Anyway I just decided to hype my own self up.

Northwest to Employees: Dig in the trash.

2006-08-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'm back after exactly 2 months away from not posting. I'll warn everyone next time I decide to split.

I was listening to Air America a second ago and I heard Ed Shultz (ok maybe he's not Air America) say Northwest Airlines was passing a pamphlet around telling their employees to dig in the trash and take their significant others out to the beach in order to save money (Hopefully not in that order). I decided I had to see that pamphlet so I went to Northwest's website and I couldn't even find a page for employees. Even my college job had a page for their employees, sheesh.
Figuring it must be hidden under muck I went to Technorati and lo and behold, The Consumerist had a link to the pamphlet here.

The guy who found the pamphlet on The Consumerist, Triteon, tries to give Northwest a little leeway saying it's actually NEAS who distributes pamphlets to it's clients (i.e. NorthWest) to get its "future former employees ready. I'll save that for future reference. I contract someone and the fault goes to the guy under me. That's gotta be the easiest way to remove responsibility, right? *cough* Gitmo *cough*

Still, I like the irony in certain individuals getting fired and being rewarded with $40 million dollars and a golden umbrella and others being given a pamplet telling them to go eat trash.

I put a copy here because I like backups.

P.S. Happy 100th Post to Me!

Illegal Voting Machines Used in Busby/Bilbray Election

2006-06-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Voting Integrity

I just needed to store the article somewhere.

Who's got the real handicap?

2006-06-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

You think you're bad?
Are you bad enough to tell off a blind man?

From Think Progress:

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Peter. Are you going to ask that question with shades on?

Q I can take them off.

THE PRESIDENT: Im interested in the shade look, seriously.

Q All right, Ill keep it, then.

THE PRESIDENT: For the viewers, theres no sun. (Laughter.)

Q I guess it depends on your perspective. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Touche. (Laughter.)

Q Following up on the other Peters question about Karl Rove, you said that you were relieved with what happened yesterday. But the American public, over the course of this investigation, has learned a lot about what was going on in your White House that they didnt know before, during that time, the way some people were trying to go after Joe Wilson, in some ways. Im wondering if, over the course of this investigation, that you have learned anything that you didnt know before about what was going on in your administration. And do you have any work to do to rebuild credibility that might have been lost?

THE PRESIDENT: I think that first of all, the decision by the prosecutor speaks for itself. He had a full investigation. Karl Rove went in front of the grand jury like I dont a lot of times. More times than they took a hard look at his role.

Secondly, as I told the other Peter, Im going to tell you, that theres an ongoing trial, its a serious business. And Ive made the comments Im going to make about this incident, and Im going to put this part of the situation behind us and move forward.

21st Century Lynching

2006-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

I posted this on a Myspace blog of mine a few days ago and then thought "why neglect this blog"?

I couldn't help but scorn myself for missing a screen shot of the front page that lie before me at 6 o'clock in the morning. At washingtonpost.com there was the image of James Cameron founder of America's Black Holocaust Museum, dedicated to educating the general public of the injustices suffered by people of African Heritage in America. Under this image was an article of appreciation and below that his obituary. James Cameron died at the age of 92 and is the only known survivor of a lynching attempt, which occurred when he was 16 years old. As amazing a feat it was, being one of thousands to escape such a fate, a greater spectacle lie in the headlines beside it.

I didn't care that George Bush made a "surprise" visit to Iraq (much like all the surprise sound bites he gives us each morning trying to raise his polls from the 30 percent monster) or that there was another shocking car bombing in Iraq. What I did take note of is
U.S. Officials Detail Zarqawi's Last Hour. Was it sheer irony the Washington post was trying to convey or a mere coincidence the articles lie side by side. A man who survived a lynching decades earlier died only two days after the public lynching of the "the new people of color"'s representative.

Here, at the Washington Post's website, they feed America's bloodlust and decrepit justice by flaunting the body of this dead man. They flaunt this dead man's body and then assure us he isn't human. "Look at what he's done! He's an animal!" Then in the same breath you ~~kill~~ dismiss four others. "They were collateral damage." Followed by a mask of humanity. "We let him die peacefully. Look at this picture of the man. He practically died of natural causes. The bomb didn't kill him and neither did our soldiers" as if it isn't the fall that kills the man but the sudden stop at the end. And they assure us it was necessary. "But it's going to help a lot," (and they dropped the bomb on Hiroshima) "Zarqawi was a loose cannon who gave al-Qaeda in Iraq a bad name with gruesome beheadings..." (and they drove the Native American off their land) "as it is the people's resistance and every youth can become al-Zarqawi" (and they enslaved the African children).

Fortunately for us, we do not have ropes anymore. We do not have museums where bodies have been quartered and genitals displayed of this strange humanoid animal. We no longer have lynched people sold on postcards for a few cents. No, now we have "tolerable" pictures, autopsies, and the mystique in whether or not they shot the man after they bombed him.

The lynching doesn't end there. Just as the lynching didn't stop with James Cameron, as it continued through Emmett Till, as it continues with Zarqawi and as they target Abdel Rahman al-Iraqi and Abu Masari... then Iran then some other non western civilization (because we all know North Korea is bad) who I suppose are only names to us, they'll find someone else. They might be people to some. They might be the next blood stained flag for others.

I am blogging from my phone for the first time

2006-06-09T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this wasn't entirely political. I just never access my own blog on my cell phone and I finally got enough interest to try. My strange behavior will no doubt alert the NSA. I'm not sure if I already poked fun about this but that thousand pounds of explosives didn't kill Zarqowi, maybe the bullets of the soldiers that followed did (just saying). Why use the bombs in the first place other than to give a reason to make more of them if you can't take the man out. I guess that doesn't matter. The war on terror is over. Mission accomplished. Get er done. Now watch this drive.

Gay Marriage Shmay Marriage

2006-06-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

Please don't be stupid enough to rally behind bush on something like this.

Extra! Extra! Supreme Court Nixes Free Speech!

2006-06-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Did I even mention the Supreme Court took away the power for government employees to speak out against their employer when they see something wrong? So much for free speech.

Let's all jump on the guy who says his superior officer has never done a legal search and seizure in his life :P or better yet let's all jump on the public hospital employee who saw the potential hazard in having a fire extinguisher near the MRI system.

The way America is headed is toward limited liability for the government and corporations and then when they are liable they don't have to give people squat. Forget of, for, and by the people. Let's get this country back to it's grass roots of property owning elitists who'll try to squeeze blood from stone as well as people.

Who needs their laws when you can write your own

2006-06-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

Bush Co. ignoring the constitution

Firedoglake cite's a Boston Globe article which dissects the presidential signing statements bush uses to enhance his executive powers. Apparently bush has used this power 750 tmies where it was used 600 times by preceding presidents. George bush never uses his veto power because he never wants to give Congress the opportunity to shoot him down. Instead he writes in these little official notes that say how he interprets the power (even if that interpretation contradicts the law).
So he gets to run around like a maniac practically creating his own laws. Forget seperation of powers. He's got the military, congress and judicial system jumping hoops for the executive office.

Reality Check: Washington News or Important Gossip

2006-05-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

I was reading Escatchon and saw this article from the New York Observer.

I'm just going to put the same excerpt Atrios did.

Ultimately, this episode reveals less about the Clintons than about the decaying culture of Washington journalism. Like the Bourbons, the Washington press corps forgets nothing, forgives nothing and learns nothing. They remain utterly oblivious to their own mean-spirited hypocrisy.

Is there a reason why the enduring, 30-year bond of the Clintons merits more withering scrutiny than the multiple unhappy marriages of ambitious politicians such as Senator John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani? Is there a reason why the marital privacy of elected officials should be violated, while media moguls like Rupert Murdoch can discard their wives with impunity?

Meanwhile, it is reassuring to know that Mr. Healy, at least, is a high-minded professional searching for significance. As the Times reporter told the American Society of Newspaper Editors a few years ago: "The media's future depends on journalists exercising this responsibility in a way that earns them the public's trust and confidence …. The most meaningful part of being a journalist, and the reason I chose that path, is the reward of telling stories about real-life, high-stakes matters of consequence, stories that will have an impact on real people."

That says it all.

If only a negative number of people existed

2006-05-30T03:56:00.000-07:00

(CBS/AP)

You know what sucks? Unless Bush is impeached and removed before his term ends we’re eventually going to see an article that says “Bush’s polls bounce back". If it doesn’t happen because of some October surprise he has waiting for us (Though I would think America has become desensitized after watching 9/11, two “wars” and a vice president shooting a man in the face) it will happen because the man’s polls can only go as low as zero. Eventually, he will datamine his way back to 19 or 17 or 20 or whatever it is unpopular presidents of his caliber do.

Kill More Humans to Kill More People

2006-05-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

Explosions Kill Two in Iraq

Mission Accomplished

The death of the U.S. soldier came as the United States marked Memorial Day. It brought to 2,467 the number of U.S. military members who have died since the war started in 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Illegal Data Mining by the NSA

2006-05-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

The NSA has secretly been collecting billions of phone call records with the aid of Verizon, AT&T and Bell South.

This man has taken advantage of the lives of thousands of people to push a program that is illegal, immoral and goes against centuries of what America has stood for. We are allowing this man to take away rights under the falsehood of protecting us.

If you allow this man to say he has inherent powers as president during this time of war (which is actually an occupation, "authorized use of aggressive force") then there is no limit to what he can do.

H

e is already allowed to hold people without trying them and wiretap your phone without a warrant for making a call outside of the United States and now the NSA has amassed a database unprecedented in size that keeps track of every call you make. What is being done with this information? Who has it? How do we know the people who have it are not corrupted?

Nixon left office because he broke the law. He broke into records unlawfully. Are we going to allow this president to do the same thing just because people don't have to physically open files to get the information they want? They have access to YOUR information.

On top of that, how far has this gone? All of these programs in the NSA are private. The NSA itself was private from the 50's till 1975 when it was forced into regulation under FISA in 1978. We found out Bush ordered the NSA to go behind FISA's back and wiretap U.S. citizens without a warrant last year. Now we find the NSA is dealing in shady business by collecting our phone records. What they have done is obviously questionable because Qwest's lawyers didn't give up their phone records even after being pressured by the treat of losing government contracts. Bechtel protected it's customers records from the 30's onward because there could be heavy fines for giving up phone records without warrant.

I'm repeating the article, just read it.